Here’s wishing Blog Master Gerry & Kopites the world over a very happy new year.

ps: Any news on the line up tonite?

Thanks for the timely Blog Gerry! Once again, an enjoyable read! Hope y’all have a great 2010 – I’m certainly looking forward to it in ‘World Cup Country’! Roll on tonight & Spurs on the 10th.
Nice to see that not all journos in Great Britian are tossers:
http://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/rule-rafa-benitez

Another solid blog Gerry and I hope 2010 is a good year all round for everybody on the blog. I think you hit the nail on the head with regards to the Twats and our January transfer dealing. It will be all down to Rafa and how he wheels and deals in order to strengthen. I like the Maxi link with Dossena going the other way it would be a bargain all round. Accordingly to Balague the van Nostril link is total bullshit, thank God and the long term thinking is he could not be accommodated with Torres in the starting line-up and he would be a negative influence on Ngog’s development. I would like to see the Turkish lad at Anfield but I think that would depend on Babel going the other way. With two mars bars and a packet of chips Rafa will have a tough time bringing in somebody top draw in terms of the striking department. However with the Johnson injury we might need more cover there if the idea is to sell Degan. Selling Degan and Vorrion does not give us much cash if we use Dossena in a swap for Maxi and Babel for Turan (I would be surprised to see this happen (Babel) now, more likely in the summer). I would not get too carried away with hoping for major arrivals this January our best bet is to get everybody fit again, that with our confidence up and a fit squad, we would be more than a match for most teams if not all on our day.

Today’s game carries little importance, finishing fourth is all that matters.Selling Riera for £6 million would be great business.Any takers?.

Burgerman today’s game carries plenty of importance mate. Considering our form, gaining momentum going into the spurs game is vital. We already made the mistake of beating man scum then adopting that attitude going into the arsenal game in the cup.

We must get a good positive result with a fairly strong team in order to get three consecutive wins under are belt which I don’t think we’ve done since September.

Also seeing as the fa cup could be our only chance of
silverware it’s another reason why we gotta………….

Oops I’ve just realised that’s one of ur famous hand grenades and I’m sitting here stating the obvious as if you didn’t know.

Have a nice day young man infact just to get you outta the house go put £20 on man city Liverpool and rangers to win this weekend. Thank me tomorrow.

I personally would not want to sell Riera as when he is fully fit he gives the team much more balance and stretches the play more. I know he has not got any blinding pace but he vary rarely gives the ball away which allows the left back to advance further up the pitch and he can put a quality ball into the box. If and when he is fit we need to get more bodies into the area to attack the crosses he puts in.

So for me he will definitely not be leaving but from what I have read Voronin is as good as gone (which is definitely not a bad thing) because he ia apparently sunning himself in Miami at the moment.

Doss going to At Madrid with Maxi coming the other way also seems to be a good move and the news that Van Nistlehorse isn’t coming is also a positive in my opinion as he would surely be demanding astronomical wages and a starting place, none of which he would be guaranteed.

Babel to Spurs with Pavluychencko coming the other way is more realistic for me but you never know what rabbit Rafa is likely to pull out of the hat.

Hoping for a good solid performance this evening with a good mix of regulars and possibly Ngog and Spearing getting a start. Whoever plays right back tonight will give us a good indication for the next game against Spurs so I expect Degen to start but would prefer Darby to play alongside Carra, Agger and Insua/ Aurelio.

Hopefully get a few goals tonight to further boost the confidence.

All the Best for the New Year everyone on TIA and C’mon Redmen.

Super stuff Gerry,

Never complain about too many socks pal there`s nothing worse when you can`y find a pair!!

I agree with you Gerry momentum is paramount.We must win this game and move on to spuds on the back of three wins.

Yes,the cup is second or third priority right now but we must try to win it.We can put together a good run in the cup without it hampering our league form.

“Todays game carries little importance”

This is the FA up not a fecking testimonial.Ok its not as big nowadays but it will never be brushed aside and given little respect by me for one.
There`s another trophy for this great club to win and i can`t believe some peoples attitude to it.

We are due a day out at the new wembley it was once called the “Anfield south” and i`d like to be back there on a regular basis again.

Happy 2010 Gerry and to all Reds. I must admit our season, at the moment, couldn’t get better than back to back wins. Like Carra, we must consciously choose NOT to read the press. Much of the press will never know who we are. They owe us nothing and so do we. We ARE the Kopites, whether anyone cares to know (or acknowledge) that or not! Can we make it three wins (Reading), then four (in all competitions) against Spurs? History would answer by reminding its hearers that LFC’s most dangerous when no one expects anything. While consistently an ardent believer, is it true we might actually sign Maxi Rodriguez this week? What a new year’s gift that would be. Keep believing. Siempre es posible. YN(Ever)WA(Ever)!

Here`s team lads…

Reina, Darby, Carragher, Skrtel, Insua, Kuyt, Gerrard Lucas, Aurelio, Ngog, Torres.

Subs: Cavalieri, Aquilani, Benayoun, Kyrgiakos, Babel, Spearing, Degen.

Strong team.Glad,we need to continue momentum.

Oh just noticed,Gerrard Lucas is two seperate players

Almost as bad as jamie lucas !

Fuck that’s a ropey first half, decent first 15 and decent last 10 but everything inbetween has been disjointed and lacking in purpose.

We need to get some width everything seems to be squeezed through the middle. I think babel could have a good impact in this game. Let’s hope for a more confident second half.

Happy new year lads!

I see the new year hasn’t improved our brand of football. We look bloody ordinary against a side near the bottom of the championship. The passing and first touch control has been dreadful.

Cue the madness!

Don’t know what that was all about! We’ll get them back to anfield and beat them I’m sure, but 2 shots in the second half?? One in the 90minute!!

Ngog was havin a good game thought rafa done the right thing bringing on aqualani and pushin up stevie however we just didn’t seem interested. Fuckin shame great chance to build ahead some steam this evening.

I still don’t think that Lucas is a Liverpool payer,IMHO he replaces Voronin as the “nearly man”.I saw the game courtesy of Setanta here in Canada,the pitch was bad but so were the Reds.I agree that the team takes too long to get forward unless it is Reina throwing the ball. The passing accuracy is just not there and several players need to buck up their ideas or be replaced if we had the money. Eggnog has scored some good goals but he really should depart,I know Spearing didn’t play today but he should go as well. The ability and desire of the team is just not good enough and we need more ball control players in the mould of Benayoun.
Sorry about the moan fellas but I am completely cheesed off with the way Liverpool played – I do think they will win the replay but *&^%$#!!!

Didnt think there was much wrong with the perfomance. Sure we didnt win but I didnt think we were disinterested at all. Reading just brought us a good game. I cant agree with you JackH about Lucas or Eggnog. Thought Lucas did a fine job in the middle and I cant understand your reasoning about Ngog. He´s no Torres but he´s young, scoring goals and probably a better bet then Owen and for 1.5m a steal.

Hi Gang,

Happy New Year everyone. Pity I am not coming in on a particularly good night. I watched the game on a tv with a very bad reception. Black & White and snowy to boot, just like the old days. So snowy was it that I could not make out the liverpool players, just the ball and loads of Reading shirts allover the place. It kind of sums up the game all around. Happy we got another shot at it. That’s about it really.

Thanks for the blog Gerry, cheers my man for all the work and thought that you put into it. Just a note on your point about the over elaboration in passing and de-facto lack of pace in the attack. I think it’s a lack both up front and at the back. While both Torres and Gerrard are not fully fit it makes us more than a little predictable. Kuyt, Lucas and Benny, Riera… no great pace there and it’s the same at the back, moreso now that Johnson is out. It kind of makes it easy for teams to defend against us. Nemo will make a big difference with his one-touch ability. I think Lucas could also prove to be useful here but it seems he is being used as an auxillary masher at the moment. The biggest things are fitness and confidence, neither of which we have enough of at the moment.

reading playing a very good game and totally dominated us in the second half (the first half wasn’t too great either). what bothered me the most about the performance of the team was that no one seemed to want the ball or to make anything happen. granted, that’s a gross generalization, so i don’t mean it entirely literally. my point is just that it seemed like when a player had the ball around our side of the center circle and would look up, or when a player was dribbling out of the back, there would be no outlet pass(es) options. the player would end up dallying on the ball for a bit and get closed down (which reading did to us very well) or they would end up just passing it backwards – or a hopeless long ball to space (which torres got kicked the s*** out of from). it was even more evident on throw-ins throughout the whole second half. someone would go over to take it and the players on the pitch just walked alongside their marker…no one made any attempt to get some space and get the play moving. it was depressing. not sure what to make of it, really…

it was obvious that reading was going to be up for the match, but given the side we put out there i am very disappointed, i must say. i must say that i am also getting really tired of seeing torres getting the piss kicked out of him every match. every ball put forward in the air, defenders just ram into his back, or elbow him in the head, or both. that one near the end of the game was scandalous. the guy made no attempt to play the ball, and basically took him out with his hips. its getting out of hand, and you know what fungus would do, flapping his arms and getting his press buddies to write columns about how poor it is that good players are getting kicked. enough is enough. something needs to be done. it’s a true shame.

enough from me.
YNWA

excellent observation alec.
I certainly wouldn’t use it as an excuse for not winning, but the Ref was horrible.
That shit was going on all over the park.

Lucas got clattered twice in the first 5 minutes, the first a headbutt to the back of his head and second an elbow to the face.
Have you seen the lad’s face recently? Take a good look the next time cameras give you a close-up of the kid, he looks like he’s gone 12 rounds with Tyson for fucks sake, bruises and scars all over his face.

The same kept happening to both Torres and Ngog, with no protection from the Ref, and I reckon he wouldn’t have disallowed the goal for the bump on Reina, but the player that fouled him was 2 yards offside, so he had to.

But having said all that. There has been a definitely a lack of leadership and ambition during the 90, at times in this team… and it raised its head again today… and in my opinion, its mostly from the senior players.

Seriously . . . that was yet ANOTHER piss poor performance.

Whilst the ref gave scant protection to Torres, everyone should note that we was lucky he didn’t point to penalty spot when Skrtel tugged at that fella’s shirt.

This is pretty much our best XI & we were hustled around the park by a struggling Reading. Nevermind the romance of the cup & all that, ye’d expect our lads to be able to deal with the challenge or at least give it some welly.

If we keep this up, we won’t be anywhere near the top4 & will be out of both cups in the early rounds.

Why are the players NOT defending like they used to?

Why have we gone so flat? Did last season’s title tilt take so much of the team that it has left everyone deflated?

Am sorry to be throwing a tantrum but this is fooking unacceptable even if it meant me just lost some zzz time.

Supporters who travelled & spent valuable $$$ fer this game deserve better.

As fer the replay, its NOT like we haven’t been upset at home in the cup recently. And going by this performance, Reading will fancy their chances as long we continue to defend set pieces like amateurs.

And as much as me hates the yanks, they weren’t responsible fer that shambles last nite or the pompey game either.

Pls note this isn’t a “Rafa Out” rant but it would be nice if he came out & said we were shite & apologised to the travelling support fer that display.

Well, I got up at 4.15am, noticed the field was shite, then the Ref was shite, followed by Reading playing shite, no reason Liverpool should be any different. Lets just go with the flow.
.
Positives from the game, Torres, Reina, draw and full time.
.
Negatives, ah well fuck me, whats happened to our Captain. Either he’s had enough of Rafa or he’s had enough of Liverpool, but somethings wrong. Don’t know what Rafa said at half time but he just disapeared in the second half.
.
SG, not looking like a 40 million player at the moment. Hope he isn’t saving himself for Ingurland trip down south.
.
Still another game to watch the lads go round, cuts my pay TV price down by the extra game, Yahoo. Come on lads heads up.

If you read the newspapers Puchong, Rafa did say we where not good enough, it is one thing about Rafa he does not make excuses. Saying that it was a piss poor, disjointed performance, probably one of the worst of the season. A few factors contributed to this, one was Gerrard playing along side Lucas in the middle. He just does not put or is still not quite fit enough, to put in the hard yards in the middle, resulting with us loosing the mid field battle as Lucas had too much to do. Jack Hill, sorry friend, you are way of the mark with both Ngog and Lucas and I am not too sure what games you have been watching this season to come to that conclusion, but it is not the same as I have been watching.

This resulted in us hoofing the ball up field as the only outlet as the midfield was overrun and closed down to quickly. We have had two very hard matches in quick succession, getting the results we needed and I think the lads are tired and thought this would be slightly easier and took their foot off the gas. Reading but in a tireless and extremely hardworking performance, shutting us down all over the park and giving us no time to gel and get into a rhythm. I remember us doing something similar to Arsenal at Anfield with Mellor getting the winner in Rafa’s first year. He said that this type of performance is unsustainable over the long haul as it takes too much out of the team physically, but perfect for a Reading side with a lot to prove and looking to get a boost for their flagging season. I expect us to win comfortably at Anfield. Yes it does not reflect criticism for the poor performance but we are still in the FA cup with all to play for, enough time for the players to regroup and recoup for the Spurs match that will be a huge game and a must win for us.

It also outs to bed the 4 4 2 that all the armchair experts are yelling at Rafa to use as it results in us loosing the midfield dominance that Aquilani and Lucas/Masch gives us with Gerrard as the foil and creator for Torres. I also hope Reira and or Babel gets back to fitness and speed as Aurelleo on the wing does little for me. The same with Degen, Kelly and Johnson as Darby is solid enough in defence but gives us nothing going forward. Also we missed Agger bring the ball out from the back and for me it has to be Agger, Skertal or Agger Carra combination as our best pairing, because Skertal and Carra are to similar.

Hey people don’t be so critic at the Redding game . We really lost a lot of money this year because of the CL , so drawing at Redding isn’t so bad because the club will receive more money after a re-match at Anfield from the tickets . I know it doesn’t sound our style but modern football is like this this days and I’m sure that our fellows will win with more than 2 goals at home . This season has been a nightmare so far , but winning Europa League and FA cup , although sounding very troublesome , along with hitting the top four , will guide us to a 2010/11 season with a lot more confidence . And I’m really an optimist – I think winning against Tottenham will include us again in the title race , yes , I Believe that we can take it if we strike a couple of consecutive wins , this is the right moment , this is the time , it all depends on us , so let’s hope we can manage to pull out some wins , than buy a few new players till the end of January like Maxi I really want him at Anfield . Hope Dies Last , In Our Case Never , so let’s Keep The Hope and Support our team till the end .

I would have to agree. That was a very poor performance. We couldn’t string more than two passes together the whole match. Lucas to me didn’t offer too much today. He has been playing well this season but is he doesn’t have the fire that Masch brings to the table. If I had to choose between them I would prefer Masch partnering Stevie in the middle or Aqua or whoever. Lucas for me is a tad bit slow and you need strength and speed or at least good distribution ability to be a great midfield general. His passing is simple, his speed is average.
On the whole though it was a poor performance and we need to get our shit together for Tottenham.

KeithSA – ok, missed Rafa’s comments.

But the reason me is all pout is that this sort of performance has become the norm. Cannae see the light at the end of the tunnel at the moment.

Like many others, me has kept me own counsel & not joined in hysterical yelling that follows every poor performance but fook me, this is getting a tad tiresome.

And no, me don’t expect us to WIN as of right. Have been fan fer over 30 years & know that much.

But is it too much fer us as supporters to ask the players to at least show a bit of character when things are going so badly. Fer fook’s sake, that’s why they are paid those HUGE wages.

Apologies if all this sounds a little like a knee jerk reaction but am having a very hard time swallowing the poor performances.

I fer one do NOT accept our players have all of a sudden forgotten how to employ a tried & trusted zonal marking system.

Doesn’t take a genius to realise this but something is very wrong with our club.

Am sorry Keith SA, respect yer opinions & all.
It don’t matter if some key players are missing, that’s part of the game.

So what if Agger wasn’t playing or Reira is not fit. Isn’t that why we have a squad?

My point is that the XI on the field last nite should & could have done a lot better.

Whilst me agrees with yer point that hustling & bustling performance is NOT plausible in the long run, we have to ACCEPT the fact that a lot of teams are gonna play that way against us.

So its up to us to counter that & put on a performance worthy of the Red shirt.

Again, this is not a knee jerk. Just plain old fed up with some spineless performances from some people we have come to expect more from.

Seems like 100,000 quid a week doesn’t buy ye much these days . . .

Mancs 0-1 Leeds,
dont you just love it, maybe sky will now stop screaming about how poor LFC were last night When their darling Mancs and all their big guns get stuffed at home by lowly Leeds Utd.
YNWA.

Redman, mate you’re having a laugh if you think the biggest cupset this weekend according to the press will be anything else than lucky liverpool getting a draw away from home. Half strength united losing at home to leeds who had a blinder can’t be classified as a cupset.

Fungus not speaking to media again after losing. I would love, I mean love, if Rafa did that. Shame he’s not a prick.

YNWA

First of all…. and the Mancs are out!!!
OK Re4life etc,you are entitled to you opinion as I am to mine. I know that the game etc has changed and the pitch was terrible but to me some of the players just are NOT Liverpool players and that includes Ngog and Lucas.
Perhaps Rafa will surprise with what becomes available for the funds he has BUT where are players like Rush,Dalglish,Barnes,Liddell coming from? I don’t blame it all on the American paymasters that the team is full of warm weather players.
Sorry fellas but I do get teed off at times and yesterday’s display capped it all.

Not gonna dwell on it to much as this is a liverpool site, but getting it outta my system. FUCKING MAGIC LEEDS beat it up them scumbag bastards!!

Man u put out a strong team today and where out muscled by a league one side. To be honest leeds played very well, organized and composed. Infact I’m actually glad we were playing reading yesterday and not leeds. The way we played we would probably have went out to ffs.

Anyway with time to reflect I’m still really disappointed with yesterdays game. I cant understand how we can play such long spells of football without creating any chances. I don’t mind so much when were getting stuck in and making things happen and because we did that and got the slice of luck we needed against villa I thought we were turning a corner.

With a week to rest now for the next match,lets get players focused and ready for spurs we really have to do them bastards for that opening day game to the season.

P.s we put in a poor performance and the next day om sky they’re asking is gerrard ready to leave liverpool?? I wonder if rooney will be looking to leave man u tomorrow?? wankers!!

It’s just been on sky sports that Rafa Benitez has no intention of selling Ryan Babel in the january window ?.
YNWA.

Puchong,
I ain’t happy either. Daughter learned one very naughty word while i watched the game yesterday.

One thing Alec said would seem very pertinent though, we had no “out ball”. Kuyt as we all know, generally goes backwards when he has possession and anyway he’s better at getting it then doing something “creative” with it. Aurelio offered nothing going forward yesterday and again seems to respond to the tempo of the team rather than setting it. It was up to someone else to create and to offer outlets when we had the ball. So if you look at the team individually:

Insua was having a very difficult time of it defending to go forward at all and he is normally quite offensive, not yesterday tho’.
Jamie and Skrtyl never really offer anything beyond defending (Whereas Agger does).
Darby looked overawed to me, timid and never took a chance.
So that’s the back 4 and the 2 widemen out of it.
Lucas was a mascher in disguise, I would imagine his role was cover across the back 4 and break anything up i.e primarily defensive.
Stevie ? I forgot he was even playing yesterday, particularly in the 2nd half. Fairly typical of him this year. In, and more often out of the game.
I thought of the front men Torres did ok. he worked the wings and was always a threat but he did get a fair bit of dirty stuff thrown at him.

So there you have it, for me of all the players who can help us shift a gear and change the dynamic of a game, Torres, Stevie, Johnson, Benny, and hopefully a fully fit Aquaman.. there was only an average Torres performing out there.

One thing I would agree with you 100% is we were flat and as they say, “never give a sucker an even break”, Reading would have collapsed had we been aggressive, dominated from the start and scored. We didn’t, they grew into the game, and we kind of disappeared. Why ?

the Leeds Man U game proves how tricky these cup ties are. However as a previous poster commented, last night’s performance has become the norm of late for us. Fully expect us to win the replay but 3 points against Spurs much more important. Gerry’s blog was a good one: yes our owners do need to speculate to accumulate, but will they? How about a sneaky free signing or loan signing? We definitely need a spark and a new player could just do that

Puchong I was not having a go at your opinion and agree we were poor, I was just offering a reason for why. The lads had two hard games and where not up to it when a lot have just come back from injury and lack match fitness. That’s the time the injured first team members would have helped to change things around a bit. We loose a lot of attacking options down the right with Darby, the same goes for Aurelleo and whether Masch brings more fire and passion than Lucas with Gerrard as a passenger the same result would have happened in terms of us being second best in the midfield. As far as Ngog goes Jack yes we would all prefer David Villa as back up to Torres but at 20 years old, costing 1.5 mill with 6 goals from 8 starts I think you are being unfair on the lad. Yes maybe he is behind Owen and Fowler in terms of producing at an early age but most strikers are. Henry took all of 25 years to get to his best and was sold by Barca because of his late development. For me he has shown enough class to be given a chance. I wonder if all those who had a go at why Rafa did not bring Owen back will be quite so vocal after all the chances he missed today? Poor performance yes but we are still in, unlike the Mancs and with 8 days to rest and regroup all is not lost just yet.

As for the comment about the norm concerning our performance, does that include the norm regarding our injuries by any chance? 11 first team squad member out has a tiny weenie bit of an effect concerning our form this year and yes the Owners are to blame when we cannot spend to strengthen the squad over the last two seasons because they just grab all the profits to pay off their debt and expenses. Just my two cents.

Come on lads, don’t let yer frustrations get the better of you.

I watched it a 2nd time and from my observations, how anyone can criticize Lucas after that game is beyond me. He barely put a foot wrong while getting battered from pillar to post.
SG was anonymous and left all the graft to Lucas,
though having said that, pretty much every time he got the ball, 3 Reading players swarmed him, forcing him to try ridiculous long ball, eye-of-the-needle passes.
(StevieMe moment of note: 92nd minute, and we get a corner… after taking every corner in the last 3 games SG yells at BennyOnion to go take it… and takes up a central position in the box.)

So our engine room was not firing on all cylinders yesterday, but for me, a big part of our problem was the defense.
Now I’m not having a go… the midfield allowed them to be put under a lot of pressure and having played defense, I can tell you, your first thought when under seige is to just hoof it as far upfield as possible. And this is where a settled, experienced back 4 is so important.

I liked the look of Darby when I first saw him, but I’m no longer convinced the lad will become a Prem player. (That’s likely a very harsh assessment of young Darby, when considering he’s had few opportunities in a settled side this season.)
Initially I thought he defended quite well, but every time he won the ball, he thumped it aimlessly upfield. (Actually the entire back 4 did this… surrendering possesion back to the Reading back 4… repeatedly throughout the game… AND they had 2 targets to aim for yesterday instead of the usual 1, but still couldn’t find either of them.
There were planty of times that Lucas and SG showed for the ball in midfield, only for Skrtel, Carra, Darby and Insua to whack the fucker over their heads, back to a Reading player. (and the only time I saw any verbal recriminations for it were from Lucas and Ngog… though admittedly cameras don’t usually pick this sort of thing up, so that may be a harsh judgement.)

Yes we were poor… but it is important to remember that it was likely THE worst time to meet Reading. They’ve just canned their manager and reports suggest that the players really like their caretaker-manager and are hoping he’s given the reins until the end of the season… which means… they were giving it their all for him. They were also giving it their all for themselves, since they want to play their way into his plans… AND its an FA Cup tie… what lower division player doesn’t want to go to Wembley… AND if you can be an instrumental player in knocking a club like Liverpool out of the FA Cup, how much Sky coverage does that buy you… and the possibility of a big money move to a Prem club.

We need to keep all these things in mind when making statements like, “it was only Reading for fucks sake.”

This was almost the ideal result for them, coz they are a cash strapped club who will welcome the replay money! (and maybe it bags us enough dosh for a signing in January?)

They’ll approach the replay the same way. We’ll need to keep it tight, and compact, probably play 4-5-1 to have an extra man in midfield, and hopefully get an earlyish goal to put them on the back foot, but either way, the replay will likely be a completely different game… they usually are.

This was never gonna be an easy game.
Sure, we’ve won 2 on the bounce, but they were nervy affairs, not barnstormers.
We are not “back to our best” yet.
Our “best 11″ still isn’t our best 11 and best case scenario, probably won’t be for another month or so.
We need to address the negatives logically, continue to stress the positives and keep scrappig them out.

I agree, we had no ‘go to’ man. I reckon someone like Riera would have added spark or something extra against Reading. Kuyt – although I love him – just doesn’t have that spark this season. First touch has always been poor, and despite him giving 110% every single game, he is knackered (still) and we could do with Riera, Benny & (hopefully) Maxi adding a bit of flair, one-touch football (= space) & decent crosses for Nando & Stevie. Bring on the Spurs!

The red’s at home to Burnley if we get past Reading, not a bad draw.
YNWA.

Ch..ch.. ch..testing testing 1-2-3….

Lucas is a good player no doubt. The question is, “Is he a difference maker?” When Stevie G fails to deliver, can Lucas go up a level and do something or do we accept that what he provides so far is it?
Between Lucas and Masch, who would you prefer?

Idhawan, Id actually prefer Lucas.
Ive been slated by non-reds and reds supporters for this.

I think Lucas is a better passer of the ball and gets into good positions (his runs are better), plus I think he does defend well (Masch is probably still better).

However Lucas is also calm and doesnt allow too many incidents get to him (if the ref doesnt give him frees or gives frees against, he usually gets on with it).

Also considering he is only 22, i think he has the potential to be a big player.

The idea that Lucaas and Masch are “too similar” is ridiculous… where does this shit come from… then get accepted as fact.

These two players are vastly different.

(oh, and Idawan… Stevie’s been failing to deliver on a pretty consistent basis since August and it is Lucas that has gone up a level and been one of the most consistent players so far this season… while Masch was sulking about Argentina and getting red cards, and everyone else has slumped or struggled.)

This shit isn’t arbitrary.

Until SG gets his “engine-room game” back, and/or Aquaman settles into the rigors of the Prem… then Masch or Lucas isn’t an either/or question… we need them both.

Granted, I might prefer Masch when facing Scum, the Arse and the Chavs, but I’ll take this season’s Lucas against the rest.

Against Reading Masch might have added some steel in the middle of the park, but he wouldn’t have offered us much more than we had, going forward.

Keith SA – sorry mate, the frustration just got the better of me . . .

Mood has improved considerably thanks to Leeds.

Was preparing fer am earful at the office today but all me hears is . . . The Sound of Silence . . .

Avoided this place after the Reading game, but I must admit I was pleasently surprised to see no suicide notes. And the lads who did complain are right, as was the blog… It’s a simple game, pass and move. Sadly, we seem to have forgotten how to do either.

The passing is far too ponderous and the movment is practically non existant. We all know the circumstances, injuries, etc. But it’s time for these lads to dig deep now. And just get back to the bloody basics… recieve the ball, pass it, move into space. Chase and harry when we don’t have the ball. It’s not rocket science.

I always knew once the slump really took a grip that it would be a long hard road back. It always is from this sort of dip. But I was hoping it was starting to clear up after the two wins.

I’m not to bothered about drawing with Reading. The FA Cup might have lost some of it’s shine in the last few years, but the 3rd round is always like this. There’s always a few upsets, The Arse could have easily went the same way as the Mancs today. I felt sorry for West Ham… but this is what happens when things aren’t going right. And we could have easily been another big scalp.

It’s nothing to really worry about, and we should all know it’s possible… we don’t have to think too far back to Havant and Waterlooville and Barnsley. Shit happens as they like to say nowadays.

But what is worrying is the performance and attitude. And I don’t mean Gerrard pouting. That’s Stephen. He’s entitled to a bit of that. It should be looked at as the kick up the arse some of the others need, and the lad is clearly playing while not fit… which just opens up the depth of squad question.

Jack has a point. Although I think Lucas has been really good all season, we need some bloody investment and a couple of top notch players. But sadly we all know why we haven’t got them and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Transfers the little I know.. Babel won’t go to Turkey so the Turan deal might be bollacksed. But hopefully we can come up with the money in the summer. As far as I know, it’s done and dusted. He’s ours if we can raise the funds.

So who’s out… not too sure about the Dosenna/Rodrigez deal. I must admit, I’ve seen nothing of him lately, but I’ve been told Rodrigez has stunk for ages and can’t get into the Atleti team.

I was a bit pissed off when I saw the pictures of Vronin. But I’ve been told Rafa told him to make himself scarce as he’s gone in the window… don’t know where or for how much, but apparently he’s done at the club.

I can’t see Degen being sold now that Johnson is out. And Babel will be here until at least the summer. So I think that’s that… no dough.

So that only leaves one thing… get more out of the players and start getting it now. But can anymore be squeezed out of them? I really don’t know how much more they have to give… Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt, Yossi, they all look about shot to me. And I think the reasons pretty easy to see… too much bloody football. But after the season, it’s the World Cup and if anything we’ll probably lose more players than we bring in.

So it’s back to that vicious cycle and will be until we get shot of them two fat greedy shyster bastards.

Oh well, nothing new there then.

I would prefer Lucas.

Lucas is pretty much the more consistent player on the field in red uniform. I thought that he is the most improved player since last season and kept on improving all the time.

He might not be the next “alonso”… but Lucas is Lucas.

Masch is sulking too much during matches. The way he went up to the referee and sulk, made me worried that he might be sent off each time.

The improvements in Lucas, I think can allow Masch to be sold in January transfer window to generate some cashes for players.

Just some questions:
If Deadly Dirk is so off form now, can we play Gerrard on the right? (Kuyt to take a rest or play behind Torres in the hole?)

The disappointment for me after the game at Reading was after a reasonable passing game at Villa we seemed to forget how to keep possession. Very annoying, but we are still in the Cup and live to fight another day in the replay at Anfield.

Aitch made a good point about Reading were never going to be pushover’s for this match and so it proved. How many times have a team struggling near the foot of their Leauge put a team from a higher Leauge out of the F.A Cup? It happens alot and we did well to come away still being in the competition.

The Rodriguez rumours seem to be gathering momentum, and seeing as it is being talked about as a 6 month loan signing, we could be in a good position with this one. Let’s hope it’s sorted by Friday so that he can add some quality to the squad that takes on Tottenham on Sunday.

Nice one Leeds, that made excellent viewing!

Ok, well as most know I spend a certain amount of time scrolling the blogs and boards, well this is fact, or should I say, what I have been taught from LFC sites.
.
The reason we are in debt (Lucas)
The reason it snowed at Christmas (Lucas)
The reason we have American owners (Lucas)
The reason Gerrard’s in a slump (Lucas)
The reason we’re gone from the CL (Lucas)
The reason we’re in the Europa (Lucas)
The reason for massive injuries (Lucas)
The reason for the quiet Anfield crowd (Lucas)
The reason for the Reading pitch (Lucas)
.
And finally the reason we actually drew at Reading because Lucas was one of our best lads. He actually played like he gave a fuck about his Red Shirt.
.
Ps Global warming (Lucas)
Global financial crisis (Lucas)
.
Thank fuck this kids got character, if he read any LFC sites he’d need it.

Gaz, I don’t know where you get your stats from.

It DIDN’T snow at Christmas! (lol)

Scapegoatism would be the only reason that anyone could possibly single out Lucas for any criticsm at Reading.

It wasn’t a great team performance (no shit Sherlock) but Lucas was certainly no worse than anyone else and probably a fair bit better than a good few.

I read the same report concerning Maxi, fighting with the coach, cant be arsed to put in the effort, we are prepared to take him on loan to see his attitude but they want a permanent deal so it looks like he is going to Boca Juniors. I agree Degen cannot be sold, mind you a bit of a catch 22 as he is always injured so it boils down to whether he can stay fit for more than 2 minutes. That leave my little pony and Dossena and the packet of chips we will get for them, ys maybe slightly more for Dossena, not too sure what we can bring in with that. I assumed Babel would be unwilling go to go to Turkey so we are stuck with him until the summer. Lets hope we can get everybody fit as soon as possible because I will be surprised to see any major signing (maybe we can scrape together the money for Turan) before next summer and then it will be sell before we buy again bullshit.

If we just give the axis of Aquilani, Masch and Lucas time to work, with Benny, Kuyt, Gerrard, Reira (when finally fit) ditto to El Zhar and Babel (throw in Pacheco) for the attacking midfield work with Torres and Ngog up front we should have more than enough from an attacking perspective. The key is getting everybody fit again. Any news on Kelly and Degen’s fitness as that is a major concern for me with Johnson out for a month or so as Darby’s lack of attacking play and composure (not blaming the lad just stating the obvious) is a really big blow for us and unbalances the side considerably. It might be worth selling Degen, if we can, along with the two above and bring in a better option at right back.

One thing to remember about Lucas… the kid has had the job thrust upon him this season, and we all know why.

Like I said, just about every problem at LFC can be traced back to the other pair. A lot of lads have started to say, “You can’t blame them for what went on on the pitch.”

But you can. If they’d have given Rafa any real money over the last couple of seasons, the team/squad would be better/deeper and we would have more options. And it’s pretty much proven fact that even having 2 competent players in each position isn’t enough to challenge on all fronts.

It doesn’t take a team of super stars. There’s loads of examples of that not working, most notably Madrid’s Galecticos. But you do need a solid 24 and some decent back up.

Rafa, through his wheeling and dealing and youth development, has us close to that. But we all know the money woes… we can’t afford to buy as needed and we can’t afford to pay the sort of wages that keeps top notch back up happy on the bench.

So, it’s options again… do we give Rafa more time to wheel deal and upgrade, and to develop some more kids, or do we toss out him and everything he’s done and start all over again.

You all know where I stand on that. And it’s not Rafa bias on my part. You can see the effect of sacking manager after manager… if you’re struggling it, more often than not, ends up like Newcastle. But even if you’re winning things, it usually only goes one way… look at Chelsea since Maureen left.

So, to me there’s only one choice… keep plugging away. It will turn round and what Rafa has achieved in the last five years entitles him to one bad season. They all have them, even the best.

But to get any quick fix to this there is only one answer… get the owners out. But that’s not going to happen any time soon.

I would be quite happy with a couple of cup finals this season and a move up the league. But there’s one thing I can’t wait for… the deadline that the Borrowers have given themselves for work to start on the new ground. They had no choice but to give assurances with the city council forcing them into it, especially as we scrapped into the last slot for World Cup games, but what when the date arrives…

Well, the worst option would be that they actually got enough money to start, as you can bet your bottom lip that if they do raise the money we will end up with the cheapest, nastiest, crappiest stadium in the game.

But if they can’t get it…? Just might be a tiny chink of light at the end of that tunnel yet.

Missed that Keith, but it’s a perfect example of why the ownership is to blame…
Rafa tried to bring Alvez. It was one of the longest running transfer sagas I can remember. Parry quibbling and moaning, generally fucking everyone about and then refusing to come up with an extra couple of million. Eventually we could have had him, if I remember rightly, for around 12/14 million. He eventually went to Barcelona for was it 30 mill?

Anyway, we would have had the world’s top right back. A great player and huge financial asset for under half his eventual price… but the owners wouldn’t release an extra couple of million quid.

And you can do that in just about every other position on the pich… Vidic, Simao, Malouda, Aguero, Barry, Walcott, Ramsey.

I could go on and on but it’s too depressing… Turan will probably be next.

And each time Rafa spotted these players, we wouldn’t pay the dosh – usually buttons in football terms, and treated the other teams like they was running a fruit and veg stall in some scabby market – and the players eventually moved to our opponents for just a few quid more.

Don’t want to open this can of worms again… but people really want to stop and think before spitting the dummy and calling for Rafa’s head.

Just think were we would have been without Rafa’s wheeling and dealing, say with like Klinnsman… No Torres, No Yossi, No Agger, No Masch, No Reina.

Maybe scrap that, as it doesn’t bear thinking about really.

The feckin doom and gloom all over the net is terrible.I`m not one bit surprised by it but christ i`ve spent two days arguing with knobheads on other sites.I know i shouldn`t bother but i seem to get very millitant in defense of our club when or so called “own” shit on the players manager.

Saying that nobody`s prone to critisism once its constructive.
One guy spouted out the usual drivel on sat and i told him to take the situation into consideration before moaning about the season we`re having.Then he asked me “what siuation would that be then?”
He`s obviously been living with his head up his ass for the last 6 months.

There`s no denying it we played shite.Our two best players don`t seem to be near full fitness,it showed.Lucas seems to be doing the work of two men in there,fair play to the lad i really like his attitude.
Too many others are off form.We`ve a problem at right back.Darby,although he`s generally sound enough defending it`s hard for him to be on the same page while defending set pieces with the system.He and lucas to be fair were slightly naive thinking the cross had been overhit for the Reading goal.I don`t think he`ll make it,i hope he proves me wrong but i just don`t see it.
Thing is with him he lumps everything forward and only gives posession back to reading.In fact all the back four were guilty of this.

Nothing came through the middle except that 15 minute spell at the end of the first half when we were all over them like a rash.

Good thing is we are still in the cup.They`ll come to Anfield and have a go,they`ve nothing to lose now.If we pass them we`ve Burnley.Not as good on the road as at home so 5th round beckons.(if we get our shit together).

P.s Another concern was Insua getting a proper pasting from a championship winger.Thank fuck Lennons out on sunday or we could have urselves a problem.I like Insua,the lads a good full back with a future and excellent going forward but he`s been skinned a fair bit this season b nippy wingers.Good thing is he has the right man in Rafa to show him the way.

Like I said Timmy… there both kids that cost us a combined £100,000.

They’ll only get better and Darby can’t be blamed for lumping it. He was understandbly nervous and I was disapointed by the goal as he cut the exact same type of ball out on about 3 or 4 previous occasions.

And I hope no one thinks I’m making excuses. I’m not. It’s fact… until the owners fuck off we will always have these problems as there will be no investment in the squad.

We still haven’t even improved the contracts of Reina and Masch. Is Rafa trying to hold back on the few bob with someone in mind for January? I don’t know. You can only go on what is known. There’s no point in assuming. And fact is, Rafa has been told…
1: Players contracts will come out of transfer fees.
2: We have to sell before we can buy.

And that won’t change until they have gone.

Roarin-red, I took your advice and had £20 on Cita and the Reds to win.Thanks for nothing.Degen should of played right mid on Saturday, seeing as nobody else seemed to be playing there.Kuyt, Ngog and Torres had very little interplay.

Yep,its only going to be a long hard road with them in charge FS and with Citys spending power how long can we hold on?

I think we can do it this season but unless Rafa gets the players he wants in summer(highly unlikely)we might not be able to compete.

Gerry made a good point in the blog speculate to accumulate.The bastards have us in enought debt if they stick their neck out and back Rafa it could be worth their while.Thats from their point of view of course.If they don`t get the CL football the finances depend on then they could be in trouble.They might be forced to sell.
A run in the Europa could save their bacon for this season though.

Just felt like taking this a bit further…
Attacking full backs are essential to Rafa’s phylosiphy. It’s how he’s always worked… for want of better words, attacking full backs with defensive wingers ahead of them.

It’s brought him great success over the years, and it’s something he’s been trying to build and implement since coming to LFC.

He’s finally got it on the right. And when both Kuyt and Johnson are fit and on form, it’s one of the strongest pairings in the league, and more importantly it works…

But look how long it’s took him to get there, constantly having to wheel an deal and upgrade. In fact it’s took that long, it’s going to need revamping again soon as Kuyt is fast approaching 30.

But who do we have as back up. And more to the point this is happening all over the pitch. Rafa reminds me of the Boy with his finger in the dyke. Stuck with no tools trying to stop up leaks, and another one springs up every time he closes one.

It’s a thankless task. The media, and those who fall for it, think by saying We Are LFC this will all magically disappear. It won’t and it’s ridiculous to think it will. But this is the nature of the media and some stupider fans.

As fellas who waste far too much of our time, looking, discussing and studying this we should know better and I don’t want to cast around more doom and gloom. But I do want to point out the realities of the situation…

Right backs…
Johnson, Degen, Kelly and Darby.

1 proper investment, but not the money the media likes to make out as 9 million of the reported 14 came from the Crouch sale.
1 international found on a fee who could be quite the player from what I’ve seen, but is, to be blunt, sadly a crock.
2 kids, cost nix not quite ready yet. May or may not make it, but will bring in a tidy profit if they don’t make it.

And it took years of slowly upgrading to get to this point and was always hampered by players leaving and aging.

Left back…
Insua, Aurelio, Dossena.
A total of £7 million and 100,000.
A kid, A crock and an international defender who sadly couldn’t adjust to the English game. That happens – Veron, Schevchenko, etc. No manager ever gets them all right, and who would have thought an Italian international full back couldn’t make it over here. Shocked me. But I’ll give the lad his due, it wasn’t for a lack of trying and commitment.

Right wing…
Kuyt, El Zhar.
Left wing…
Yossi, Babel, Riera.

A combined price of approximately 35/36 million. Not a lot in football terms, and also spread over years of slowly upgrading and rooting round the bargain basements.

Babel, as I’ve said before, to me anyway, is Rafa’s biggest boob in the transfer market. And I don’t blame Babel for that. It seems to me Rafa acted too fast in bringing him in, even though why is understandble. And for some reason, the lad just can’t or won’t ever fit into Rafa’s vision of how a winger should play.

Other than that, I can’t really see any mistakes by Rafa in any of the positions. And I can’t be arsed typing it all out, but you all know how we got there…
Upgrading crocks and ageing players, Finnan, Kewell, etc, and slowly bettering each player as the money was available… Josemi, Kromkamp, Arbeloa, etc.

But as I said, this is not excuses. It’s just the facts of life at LFC. We can’t just go out and constantly buy like Chelsea, buying top class players and just disgarding them every time a better one comes along.

I’d like to see Chelsea’s business in them positions… It would take a blog of it’s own though. And the simple point is, we can’t compete with that. In all truth, we aren’t even competing with the likes of Sunderland or Birmingham in the transfer market. So, we need to be patient and let the manager get on with it as I can’t think of another one who could do a better job under such circumstances.

In the meantime, we just have to keep hoping that the other two will take as much as possible and not completely wreck the club before they leave or leave it in even worse hands than their own.

Sorry lads, like I said, I didn’t want to pour out so much doom and gloom but I do think we need to look at the realities of the situation…. obviously some a bit more than others.

As always a bit of comic relief…
Roarin-red, I took your advice and had £20 on Cita and the Reds to win.Thanks for nothing.Degen should of played right mid on Saturday, seeing as nobody else seemed to be playing there.Kuyt, Ngog and Torres had very little interplay.

Don’t ever leave lad. We’d be lost without a jester.

Like a few of you I have stayed out of here since the Reading game. I was very disappointed with that showing. In fact I would go as far to say it was the worst one of the year but in all seriousness, it was shite.

There was no movement, interest, guts, determination, will to win… bah humbug. Some of these players need to take a good look at themselves.

In some ways I am happy that we did not get that winner in the last minute because these guys need some time on the pitch together to get this sorted. Another 90 minutes will do no harm whatsoever.

Also, a bit harsh on Darby about hoofing, because Skyrtel and Carra were doing more than their fair share as well. Without Dagger the distribution from the back is poor but then again if you have 6 statues in front of you, it is going to be difficult.

Aurelio was leaving Insua exposed, although I do agree that he struggles with a nippy winger but that was why it was all the more necessary for an experienced player like fabulous to help him out.

Also, Lucas was our best player on the pitch. No doubt in my mind about that.

So how do we get out of this? As FS says ‘baxter basics’. Pass and move, harry like fuck we don’t have the ball. Just work our bollocks off.

Nice one FS (60),
what a guy eh Burgerstar, he probably had to wait outside the bookies until someone old enough put his bet on for him as someone who make’s comments and diatribes as he does cant be much older than 8, anyway just came across this about Rodriguez.
http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/liverpool-fc/127443-maxi-rodriguez-set-to-take-pay-cut-to-join-liverpool-fc.html
If he call’s in to the longy i’ll buy him a pint, he cant be expected to take a cut in his wage and survive can he the poor fucker, my heart bleed’s.
YNWA.

I see the Maxi link wont go away, it certainly better than the crap linking us to Heskey and Carew. With Johnson out it might be a smart move, he will be motivated because of the world cup, he is willing to take a pay cut or so the rumor goes so for a mars bar and a packet of chips, Dossena/ Vorrinon we might be able to pick him up. I wonder if he could play right back and link up with Kuyt. Might be worth a gamble for 2 odd mill on a short term contract he is prepared to sign. I think it woul be very difficult to get a better deal with our massive financial might, he could also sub for Kuyt when Johnson is fit. I cannot see motivation being an issue if he wants to get into the Argies world cup squad with their captain at Liverpool. I wonder if we could bring in Turan on some Higher purchase agreement with a 5p down payment as well, maybe split the Mars bar, its easier than the packet of chips.

I do my bets online!.www.guillembalague.com says that Maxi will be going back to Argie land. On the subject of full backs, Clichy cost 500k and Sanga £6 million-both going to the world cup and combined cost less than Dossena!.Happy new year.

The first irrelevant/useless stat of 2010.

Happy new year to you Burgerbrain,
read the link i pasted, especially the paragraph regarding Balague.
YNWA.

Maybe BM could stick another bet on from his Mam’s computer and donate the winnings to Rafa… And submit that plan he’s still working on.
So far we’ve got Larson sorted on a free. Now just to find a Clichy and Sanga for minus 20 quid and we’re laughing.

Burgerman if I throw you a bone I don’t wanna here how good it tastes. Now I do owe u an apology. I’m sorry for asking you to bet with big boy money I should have realised you only get a £5 a week pocket money. To make amends I’ll give you a 25p quad for Saturday and hopefully that’ll claw you back some of that paper round money!!

To be honest, I just don’t get the lad. I remember when he first came in. He said he used to play semi-pro and had all his coaching badges. He said he was English but moved to the states when he was a kid. He said he lost 20 nicker, not dollars.

Make your mind up lad. I mean it’s bad enough pulling ridiculous statements about the Arse, Mancs and Chavs out all the time. They have absolutely no bearing on us or our situation. But you flip flop all over the gaff, moving goal posts, and pulling any stroke you can think of to undermine, the players, the team, the management and other posters in here.

It’s quite pathetic from a kid. It’s far far worse, and in need of some phsychiatric help, from a grown man.

Mind you Digger, enjoys your posts and they do make me laugh. But it really is quite worrying if you are a grown man. I’m starting to get quite concerned for the safety of your community.

Ah wel there’s alot worse out there and I suppose there could be alot worse in here. The sad truth is that over here when you go out to a bar these days the majority of reds have adopted this right here right now attitude for success. To be honest I don’t like to dwell on it coz it would drive you nuts,but it really makes you wonder wot the next decade has in store for the “football fan”

It’s madness Roarin. I can understand it from someone who just casually watches on the telly, takes in all the media nonsense and has no place to form a real opinion. But from the likes of us, who let’s face it, spend far too much of our time on this, well, it’s beyond mindboggling.

I take no notice of BM. I honestly find his nonsense mildly ammusing at worst, hilarious at best. He does come out with some crackers. And I know it’s just some form of quite pathetic attention seeking… sitting there waiting for a setback from the team, and some thought out posts on why this happening, just to drop his little handgrenades on it all – the players, the team, the posters in here but most of all Rafa.

It’s certainly not the actions of a supporter, and I’ve long given up on finding any sense in any of it. And I do find it quite funny, but I honestly can’t see the point or make it out…. Like I said, if it’s coming from a kid, it’s… Well, no. I don’t think he is a kid, but I just can’t see what a grown man would get out of it.

I mean, if I was a Liverpool supporter who wanted Rafa out, I would state my reasons and try to come up with some decent alternatives. It’s sort of like talking to that fella out of Little Britain. The mental one in the wheelchair… “Want that one. No. Want that one. No. Want that one.”

Which jokes aside, isn’t really very healthy from a full grown man.

FS,
i reckon it’s little Jimmy Crankie.

Look at this Burgerman for a stat…..

Steven Gerrard and Emiliano Insua cost us 1.3 million in transfer fees and they`re both going to the world cup.Combined,they`re both cheaper than Arron Ramsey who cost Arse £5million and he`ll never play in the world cup cos he`s Welch!

There would be a gaping hole in this blog FS if Burgerman went away.I`m serious in this time of doom and gloom surrounding our club we need that ridulous humour that comes from him,even though he dosen`t even realise it himself.

He`s like the “trigger” of Kopblog

Oh he’s a crank alright mate.

I’ve just read in daily planet that Johan Cruyff is available.

He may have lost a bit of pace but, as they say, the first few yards are in the head. We could sell Aquaman (what a flop he has been!) to fund the transfer and the job’s a good’un.

Also, since he’s 62 years old, he should not cost that much and his wages should be manageable!

Just came across a brilliant piece and had to post it here. Finely a balanced opinion on Rafa’s tenure:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rorysmith/100004667/whats-rafa-ever-done-for-liverpool/

What’s Rafa ever done for Liverpool?

By Rory Smith

Listening to 6-0-6, Radio 5Live’s bi-weekly Moron-a-thon, is a constant source of thought-provoking debate. Many of Britain’s great contemporary philosophers are regular contributors to the show, commendably guided to previously unimagined heights of perception by intellectual titans of our era, sophists like Spoony, Tim Lovejoy and Alan Green.

To take an exchange at random, as I battled along the A50 – once in the Potteries, now, apparently, in deepest Siberia – on the way home from Stoke on Saturday, a Liverpool-supporting caller came on the airwaves. He was quite cross, it turned out, infuriated by his side’s draw at Reading, of the Championship, earlier in the evening.

He opened with quite a gambit. “So Alan, do you think Rafa’s flying to Madrid to get van Nistelrooy, or do you think he’ll meet him on the motorway?” Not in this weather, son, not in this weather. It’s chaos on the roads. Mind you, Liverpool John Lennon’s had a bit of trouble with ice on the runway. Fair point. Nice you’re concerned about travel safety. “Because he needs him.”

Sadly, at roughly the same time, Rafa Benitez – who, if he was a boxer, would have to be monikered “The Beleaguered” – was revealing he was not interested in the Dutch international forward, for a combination of reasons, including his wages, his injury record and his choice of prior employers. Still, our caller was not finished there. David Ngog, he claimed, would not get on Reading’s bench. Dirk Kuyt and Lucas are both rubbish. Benitez had to go. Besides, “what has Rafa ever done for Liverpool?”

See? 6-0-6: it really makes you think. Well, caller, allow me to answer your question. What has the Champions League winner Rafael Benitez ever done for Liverpool? If he were to be sacked right now, as a growing proportion of Liverpool fans believe he should be, what would his legacy be? How would the obituaries read? Would posterity judge him kindly?

Firstly, it is only fair to acknowledge that our caller, sword of truth in hand, did admit that he knew “he had won the Champions League and that” – which is possibly the greatest sentence ever uttered on national radio – so we can take silverware out of the equation. One Champions League, one FA Cup, one Community Shield and one European Super Cup can be put to one side. So should the runners-up medals, for last season’s Premier League, the Carling Cup in 2005, the World Club Cup the same year and the 2007 Champions League. Second is just first last, after all.

To balance out our analysis, we should also avoid falling into the trap of judging Benitez purely on the travails of the current campaign (although, for the purposes of our hypothetical argument, we can assume that Benitez is dismissed with Liverpool in 7th place, four points behind Tottenham and 12 behind league leaders Chelsea). No manager should be judged on one season, but on the entirety of their reign.

What has Benitez achieved in his Anfield lustrum, then? Well, his primary achievement would surely be re-establishing Liverpool as a credible European force. After the disastrous reign of Graeme Souness, the underachievement under Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier’s slow, occasionally painful rebuilding, Benitez took over a club in the shadows of its past as far as the continent was concerned. Two finals, one semi-final, one quarter final, one appearance in the last 16 later, despite one surprise group stage elimination, Liverpool can once again be counted among the Champions League’s elite.

Domestically, too, Benitez has restored Liverpool’s faded grandeur. Not completely, of course, but certainly partially. At the start of his reign, in the aftermath of Houllier, qualification for the Champions League was the absolute maximum Liverpool could hope to achieve. Now it is the bare minimum. The perception that Liverpool have always battled for fourth under the Spaniard is wrong. Only in 2004/05 and the current season have Liverpool been involved in scraps for fourth place. In 2007/08, they finished fourth, but 11 points ahead of Everton. They were as many points off the top. They were only in a scrap for fourth if they were also in a scrap for the title.

In 2006 and 2007, they finished third, once comfortably, once narrowly, and last season, as everyone seems to have forgotten, they came a close second. Liverpool are often seen as the poor relations of the Big Four. In one, economic sense, they are, but in terms of performance under Benitez that title probably goes to Arsenal. That Liverpool fans are so, rightly, disappointed with the anticlimax of the current season is evidence of how far Benitez has brought the club.

That he has done so while overhauling his squad makes that work all the more impressive. Chelsea and Manchester United already had the core of their squads for the second half of the 2000s in place when Benitez landed at Anfield, whereas he has had to compete while restructuring completely. The side he took over – had he not sold anyone, other than the wantaway Michael Owen – boasted Jerzy Dudek in goal, Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher and John-Arne Riise in defence, a midfield of El-Hadji Diouf, Steven Gerrard, Dietmar Hamann and Harry Kewell and a strike force of Djibril Cisse and Milan Baros. The squad, packed with youngsters, included the likes of Djimi Traore, Igor Biscan, Emile Heskey, Salif Diao, Danny Murphy, Vladimir Smicer and Chris Kirkland.

Contrast that with what Liverpool have after five years of Benitez. The best goalkeeper in England, Pepe Reina, and arguably the best right back, the Argentine national captain in midfield, and the world’s best striker. Gerrard and Carragher, of course, remain, while the likes of Daniel Agger, Yossi Benayoun and – who knows? – Alberto Aquilani are all upgrades on what went before. It is impossible to put a value on such things, but it is safe to say Liverpool’s playing staff are worth more than they were six years ago.

That is not to say that Benitez is without fault, of course. He has made a number of misguided signings, most notably, and expensively, Andrea Dossena, Robbie Keane and Ryan Babel. He has a lack of both quality and quantity in his squad after countless signings, although, where Liverpool are concerned, that is highly likely to be as much the owners’ fault as it is the manager’s. Liverpool have seen more average full-backs in the last few years than most teams have in their histories. He still exhibits a reluctance to allow his team to express themselves. A lot of the football Liverpool play is not exactly aesthetically pleasing. Most crucially, he has seemingly failed to take that giant leap from near miss to direct hit in terms of the title.

But none of that makes him a failure. Not an unqualified success, maybe, but far from a failure. Surrey has spoken, to Alan Green, and it has decided Benitez must go. Fine, if that is the way it has to be. But it seems fair to say that the future will be kinder to Benitez than the present.

Yep AD #77, I was shocked to see that. Some balance in the English mainstream media for once. Unbeliebeable, sad it wasn’t in the main paper though and only features in their internet site as an online blog.

Oh well, I suppose we should be grateful from some small mercies… Shame some of our fans would rather ring 606 and Talk Shite though.

I saw a bit of another article by this fella slagging off the media. He ravaged the phone ins in that an all, and called Stan Collymoore a wife beater.

Can’t make me mind up….
The lad’s either got a big future in the media as a refreshing change from the usual idiots, or will be kicked out of the business within a few more articles.

Today, I’ve had a trawl round the papers, watched a bit of Sly, and listened to a bit of Talk Shite…
The contrast in the reporting on the Mancs and us was well let’s be kind and just say, a little different. And Talk Shite actually had an hour phone in on the fact that Sir Alex is right about the ref’s and they shouldn’t be allowed to do the time keeping.

Can you imagine if Rafa had came out with that outrageous slur on their integrity?

It really was disgraceful. A couple of things really made me laugh though… United’s home defeat was all down to Leeds lifting themselves due to the magic of the FA cup. Liverpool’s away draw was a terrible display, and a snub to the magic of the FA Cup.

To justify United’s loss one fella pointed out how Leeds pushed us all the way in the cup last season… funny how he forgot to mention that the tie was at Elland Rd, that we had a reserve side out against their first team, that we actually won the tie, and best of all…. that the game was actually in the Carling Cup.

Fucking beauts aren’t they.

But the funniest one was when compared the two midfields. I could go on about it, but I’ll just say this… the reporter went on and on about how Rafa had wasted all our money on a crock and it was costing our midfield dearly. But completely ignored the Hargreaves buy… 17 million quid and has barely kicked a ball in over 3 seasons.

BM lad, do yourself a favour and stop being brainwashed by this sort of shite. I know you like the attention it gets you in here, but you might be pleasantly surprised by people’s reaction if you stop repeating this sort of cack and form an opinion of you own.

The sad bastards in the media are so afraid of the tramp its funny.

I love to come face to face with the demented oul fecker i`d tell him

A few home truths!!

Hi guys just registered still trying to getmy head round this. Just a test and then I will speak my mind

Timmy,
he would just give you the hairdryer blast, then twat you with a footy boot, ask Beckham he’s a cunt.

Loving this blog

As long as he didn’t choke you with them nose hairs… what a dirty aul bastard. You’d think someone would have got him a little pair of scissors or one of them nostril strimmer things for Crimbo.

Did you see the length of them, I thought the dirty aul meth was growing a goatee.

And see it didn’t take long to start. Just on Sky News now…
Some shite hack…
“It’s a good thing Man U went out the cup. It might even be good if they lose to City in The Carling Cup… allow them to concentrate on the League and Champion’s League double.”

Never fail do they. But funny to see them shitting themselves and already getting their excuses in before the City game.

Oh and PS… did you know that was 100 games yesterday without feilding the same team twice?

Not a fucking peep about it in the media, not a single word and not one mention of rotation. But do you remember when Rafa was closing in on the same thing. They never fucking stopped going on about it and actually had a clock counting it down in the corner of the screen on Sly.

It’s not even the Mancs that do me head in, although I do hate that team, club and all they stand for. But it’s the media hypocrisy and double standards that do my head in.

Actually FS, Sky did a whole piece on Fungus and his team changes yesterday.
I was actually gobsmacked when I saw it. (Though it was certainly toned down from the way they went after rafa with it.)

There was also a nice piece on the Glazers trying to do this 600 million bond deal, which would require Scum to make 60 mill per year just to make the interest payments.
How fuckin lovely would that be?

Though having said all that, I only really watch Sky News for the Birds.
I dig that new Scots Milf, she’s right up there with Millie and Georgie!

FS,
i was watching granada reports when the evil one came on and it showed you his nose ropes, i honestly put the rest of my tea down i was that sick i could’nt finish it.
Imagine if they get any longer and start getting stuck in his chewy, it does’nt bear thinking about.
YNWA.

Didn’t see it Aitch. But then, I’m more Mildred and George nowadays.

Be funny that Red… the demented aul bastard might just eat his face off next time he only gets 5 minutes.

Mildred and george eh,
i knew you were cultured FS.

FS,
i think this is what Digger was referring to just before Christmas.
http://98.129.138.249/en/news/9/england/2010/01/04/1725439/exclusive-jan-molby-blames-sulking-steven-gerrard-for
its a bit steep is it not, what do you think Aitch.
YNWA.

I agree regarding Gerrard. He has not showed leadership and has been very ordinary this season. Its 2 months now he has been back from injury and he is still to find form. Instead there has been lots of shoulder shrugs and head shaking towards team mates.

Apart from Reina our senior players have been relatively poor. Carra, Gerrard, Kuyt…. Torres has been injured with patchy form (although he has scored goals he has been nowhere near his best). This had lead to a lack of leadership on the pitch throughout the season.

How many games has Stevie actually played in a row now since his injury?Can we say he`s still not fit?It looks like that at the moment but surely he`s played enough time to be match fit by now but maybe he`s playing through pain?

Who knows.

Hmmm, bit manic that wasn’t it theredman?

One minute he’s pillorying SG then he’s praising him.
One minute he’s calling Aqua useless and the next he’s stating the bleedin obvious that his contribution will likely not be felt until next season.
Gee… d’ya think Jan?

Thanks for explaining the rocket science Jan, the calculus of it all was getting a bit over my head.

I love Jan. He is one of my all-time personal faves. Hell I modeled my entire fuckin game after him, once I turned 30 and lost all my pace (not that I ever fuckin had any, mind) and it kept me playing, competing with 18 year olds, until I was 37… (and even then it was only injuries buggered me,) but fuckin ‘ell, I wish some players would not ruin their legacy by opening their traps sometimes.

Jan Molby had a head for the game, he truly did, but he’s done fuck all as a coach, so commenting on what players should be doing, in a game that is now so fast and furious that it would leave him on the sidelines after 20 minutes, weazing like a pornstar after a 100-man gangbang, is a bit… well I was gonna say rich… but redman had it right with steep.

And I’ve made my feelings about SG known (and even been wrongly accused of having an axe to grind against him and not liking him) and about his Captaincy, but that said, I’d caution people being too harsh on him.

He’s been playing on pain killing injections… we know that.
Is he still? I can’t say, but evidence would seem to suggest yes.

Why did he huddle everyone up, and supposedly instill the fight in them at Everton, but not since? Who fuckin knows, but surely someone else could suggest it?

What I do know is… Now is not the time for recriminations and scapegoats.

We’ve got problems by the bucketload and each of them would require an individual blog and 400 odd “objective” comments to sort through.

In short, its a shite season and its not gonna get rosey suddenly, or anytime soon.

Think about it.
We faced a Portsmouth teams 3 games into a new manager… featuring unpaid-players playing for their jobs, in a televised game against a “big team” and an obvious chance to put themselves in the shop window for the upcoming Jan transfer window.
of course they played off their fuckin heads.

Then we played Reading. Okay, their players are getting paid, but still playing for their new caretaker boss, and their places, and their chance to shine with an upcoming transfer window looming.
And should we get past them in the replay, next in the cup are Burnley, who may, by that time (what the fuck is Owen Coyle thinking, especially after passing up Celtic) also be a tem of players trying to impress a new manager and a buying public.

Everyone we play from now to the end of the season will see us as a big scalp and chance to forward their careers.
And we are struggling to get players fit and on form, with kids playing right and left back and support/sub striker.

Thank fuck we’ve got Spurs next.

It has to be the camerawork that I see for Lucas to be good in your eyes and not in mine. The easy chances to score and making a complete hash of them.He works hard sometimes but he still is not a Liverpool player.Maybe I have blinkers on but so does Rafa at times.
Regarding finances,maybe I’m hasty but time is not on my side-why has nearly nothing come out of the Academy or the young players given more play?
Other managers do it,are we in such dire straits that we daren’t do it?
Regarding the magnificent Press we get-it really is the editors and owners to blame.They are there to sell newspapers and it looks to me that the Sun editor has got the others to close ranks with him.
I know it seems that I don’t like Rafa,but I do.He makes mistakes at times like we all do but I would not swop him for a gold clock,even though he is so-o-o stubborn.
I am 81 now and have applied for a new “gratis passport” from Washington now,not Ottawa.
So later in the year, say April/May, I may be entreating FS to get me a “Kop” ticket-instead of having to go in the Anfield Road end.
TTFN and YNWA.

Fair enough Jack,Lucas could do more in the shooting department but he`s been our most consistant player over the season.I`ve seen a lot of heads turn on their opinion on this lad.

He was easily our best player saturday.

My view on Lucas and his so called lack of shooting:

If he gets goals into his game, he will be world class i believe (in a few years).

But im always suprised him being overly critised for this. Dont forget the lad works his bollocks off to protect the back 4, then make forward runs (which you will notice if you watch him closely on the telly) and then sprint back to protect the back 4 again (more so because lately Aqua and SG dont defend too much).

Yes he has missed some easier chances, but I still think he is used as a scapegoat.
I mean, how much praise does Masch get? He has scored once for us.

When Keane was playing and missing the side of a barn from 2m out regularly, everyone was saying that he needs more game time. But when Lucas misses one chance, its the usual “Lucas is shit!”

Aitch, I keep hearing reasons why teams are motivated to do well against us. Why they raise their games and give us hell. No matter how poor these teams are this factor is used to explain a poor performance from us. Well where is our motivation? Why are our players laying down and taking it up the arse against all comers? If we play against a pub side and lose then what? The pub men were well up for it and we should have expected a tough match? Fucking hell.

Now is not the time to point fingers? I’m at home on a Monday night, there is no game on, I’m not at Anfield. So when is the time to point fingers?

Its not the medias/ex players/knee jerk fans fault that we are out of the CL, 7th in the league and struggling against poor sides. This blog has turned into a coalition against the anti LFC brigade which is admirable but sometimes it’d be nice to just analyse the footie and discuss what is going wrong and why. When doing so fingers do get pointed.

I hear ya LB, but its the way in which those fingers are pointed… most certainly, how sternly and in what direction?

In a perfect world, I’d be the first person shouting, “overpaid bunch of fuckin millionaire kids” believe me.

These guys train 4 hours per day and play twice per week.
They get paid an average blokes yearly salary… every fuckin week.
They roll up to Mellwood in 6-figure luxury cars.
They live comfortable lives and get the best in massages, immediate medical treatment, etc.

So yes… I’m right there (in principal) with the What The Fuck Brigade! in saying they should show some fuckin pride/balls/skill/whatever…

I taught myself to take better free-kicks with my left foot than with my right… and it only took me 2 years to do it… (while working full-time at my job) practising a couple of times a week and playing on a Sunday.

So yes… these fuckers should be able to improve their passing, shooting, corner and free kick taking, when that is all they have to do and have the benefit of working with the best coaching and players around them.

…but I don’t think its exactly fair to compare Portsmouth, Reading and the like, with a pub team (though I do get what you meant.)

My problem, as I’ve previously stated, is at amateur level and even at Uni level, I’ve played on teams in this kind of slump, and there really is no explaining how you got there, or how you get out of it.

So I have to temper my frustration at watching “my beloved Liverpool” turn in the kind of performances we are seeing, with an understanding (to a degree) of what they are going through.

We’ve been waiting for a Prem title for a long time. And I think we all believed we’d see it this season… but we have to try to see through that frustration and understand this is truly the most biozarre season we’ve seen in a long, long time… and temper our judgement knowing/understanding that.

In a perfect world… fuck that, in a far than less perfect world… we should have been in there battling for every ball against P’mouth, Reading, whoever… and I hate to make excuses for spoilt-brat millionaire footballers whove hade everything in life handed to them on a silver plate…
…but this is some seriously weird season, we can’t escape that, and I’m trying to analyze everything I see objectively and logically, taking into account every fuckin spurious, extenuating circumstance I can find, to stem the tide of despair that is surrounding our club right now….
…coz WE need that as much as the players need to forget everything to date and start fresh against Spurs at the weekend.

I know its frustrating, but I think that’s what is required.

Jack, just to add to your comments re Lucas. I’ve always believed in the lad. I know he was crap last season, but if Rafa & Brazil see something in him then thats good enough for me. I mean, he wasn’t Brazil’s u/21 captain for nothing, and then ‘player of the season’ a couple of years back as well? Anyway, as Akka points out in #98. At least he is getting into goal scoring positions almost every single game he plays. I know he can’t shoot or head the ball for shit, but then maybe he is so bollacksed when he gets into that position because he has just been chasing down an opponent 2 mins before i.e. doing a Masch, and then still getting forward into the opponents penalty area. Just make a point of studying him the next time he plays. You’ll be amazed at the brilliant ‘runs’ or space he makes for himself & the team. Anyway, that’s my tuppence worth on Lucas.

I genuinely believe that Lucas will become one of our better players in the future, his game is improving all the time, but more importantly his attitude is excellent, to come through some of the shit that has been heaped on him by our own fans and not wilt under the pressure and come back stronger and better is a testament to the lad and I believe his all round game is improving, his passing is better than Mascherano and he is almost as good a destroyer, he attacks more these days and goals will come.

LB
Some good points in both posts and I have to say I do have some sympathy with your comments on Stevie G, the fitness debate is one that I dont think we will ever know the answer to, but the lack of leadership is very dissapointing.

I think the reason we are still turning in poor performances is partly down to fitness levels for both Gerrard and Torres but I think the biggest problem is that we have no belief in ourselves at the moment, the season started badly and we haven’t recovered and I dont think Rafa having to scramble around for bargain basement buys is helping us any either.

Still nice to see we got something back for Dossena, Maybe we can afford Maxi’s wages now

Hard to know where to start with all that, but…

I don’t think Jan has said anything out of order there. As usual the journalists make a mountain of a molehill, but I don’t think the big fella isn’t saying anything none of us have or is having a pop at anyone.

I know he’d say exactly the same to Gerrard’s face. He’s no backstabber.

We all know Steven is a sulker. It’s just the lad’s nature. I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but it’s hardly a secret or some sort of earth shattering news.

And of course Aquilani hasn’t contributed much, and yes, Jan was right again… it’s not his fault. I’m sure, well, I know, he’s more pissed off than anyone of us with the situation. But mark my words… this lad is, for a want of better words, going to become our next Terry McDermott.

A heavy weight to put on the lad that. And he may never become that good (Very few will) but he’s in that mould and he’s got the game. Will he do it. Well, like Jan said, we’ll have to wait and see. It depends on whether the lad can settle.

As for having a go at the displays… I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. None of us are happy about it.

What’s wrong is childishly spitting the dummy and calling for wholesale changes every time we play badly or don’t get a result. I honestly don’t understand why some people don’t see how foolish that is… this club is standing on the edge of the clifftop as it is. Losing Rafa and some of the players right now might just be enough to push it over the edge.

You might feel you are rounded on LB for being critical. I don’t think that’s the case. Not for you anyway, as you aren’t one of the idiots who come in here screaming like scalded schoolgirls at every setback and you don’t just make ridiculous statements and demands that the club would never be able to keep.

But I know how you feel… The anti-Rafa brigade like to make out that I’m Rafa’s chief appologist and lead some sort of vendetta against them. Well, I suppose the vendetta part is right… I would like fellas who carry on like that and can’t get behind the club to just fuck off.

But that’s not some pro-Rafa witch hunt. I think the more sensible people understand that I would be first to Thank Rafa, wish him good luck and say goodbye if it was time for him to go.

I don’t know how many times this has to explained… the simple fact is, through an absolute mistake, we have one of the best manager’s in the world. We were so so lucky that he feel in love with the club, the city and the fans. He could walk into practically any top job tomorrow. And seriously… where the fuck would that leave us.

Well, I’ve said it a million times, but here we go again… It would leave us bollacksed! We would not attract a decent manager. H&G wouldn’t know a decent manager if one bit them in the arse.

And who could do a better job than Rafa under such circumstances?… Fucking no one – END OF!

Now why this season is turning out so crap is beyond me… but let’s face it, our definition of crap is not a very logical one.

We demand to win things. Why? Having a great history is something to be very proud of, but it doesn’t put trophies in the cabinet.

Yet despite all the turmoil we have had a fantastic time, winning trophies and playing great football, under Rafa. Any other team would be quite proud of that record. Other manager’s would be lauded to the heavens if they achieved what Rafa had achieved under such circumstances with such meagre resources.

Yet every bloody time we have a bad result or a bad performance, we have to go through the same thing over and over… pointing out what Rafa actually has spent, pointing out how good is actual record is, pointing out how he’s got us seriously punching above our weight, and established us once again as a genuine contender and a recognised European giant.

But Steven Gerrard pulls a titty lip, or a prick like Souness – who near destroyed the club, and who’s shit managment we are still recovering from – comes out with actual malicious lies about the one man who is fighting on our behalf and it’s off again… Sack Rafa. Sell Gerrard.

It’s actually quite disgraceful and only shows the dummy spitters up for the fools they are.

Question the performance by all means. I certainly wonder why a team that is capable of playing the way we can can’t seem to get the basics right, but I can see reasons for it…
And yes, that includes other teams upping their games for a big scalp – just like we have against the big teams during this slump.
It also includes the injuries, the bad decisions against us, the unbelievable lack of luck we’ve had and the complete loss of confidence.

Look at Skrtle for instance… the lad was a mountain last year. There was no way up, round or over him. He’s shit on a stick this season. Why?
I don’t know. I haven’t got all the info, but I know he hasn’t been the same since Carra near took his head off. Is that the reason. I bloody well hope not. I hope he’s made of harder stuff than that. But for some reason, I know he just can’t get it together and seems to have forgotten how to just do the basics. As do most of the players this season.

And why they can’t get that high tempo, sharp passing, high up the pitch defending, style of play back is maddening. It’s frustrating. At times it’s even heart bloody breaking. But it isn’t reason to through the whole lot out and start again, even if we could.

And Jack Sir, of course I will find you a ticket to The Kop by hook or by crook. I’ve explained what H&G have done over ticket allocations. It’s bloody awful, and the Kop won’t be what you remember. In fact, you sometimes feel like saluting anyone with a Scouse voice. They are getting that scarce. But yeah. I’ll sort it and hopefully have a wee gill with you before kick off.

And you know what… I’ll even finish on a good note. You’re right Jack. The academy had fallen into a sad state. But I have to tell you mate, we have Rafa to thank for putting an end to that. He’s completely revamped the place. He’s also filled it with some of the most talented kids from all over the globe. Some people like to hit him with that stick an all… holding back local kids, but that’s not true. If they’re good enough they’ll come through. And the fact is, some already are… Lucas, NGog, Insua, even them first team/squad lads were only bought as youth prospects to develop. And there’s plenty more in the pipeline, Pacheco, as I’ve been saying for 3 seasons now, being the next most likely one. Like Jan said… the lad really is special.

But there’s plenty more, and that’s just one other major reason why we mustn’t lose Rafa and why we should firmly get behind him – especially in these times – because if we lose him, god only knows how many of these kids and senior pros we’ll also lose and the only manager/players we will be able to bring in then can only be a downward turn and maybe enough to finish us off for a long long time.

If you think I’m talking shite, go back a couple of blogs and read the post I made on Leeds. And FFS have a little moan when you feel like, even spit the dummy and just have a tantrum, but before you start calling for regime change, I’d advise a bit of caution… someday soon you might just get what you want.

We go

Oh and PS… We might be in 7th place LB. But let’s get it right, despite the bad performances, we are only 4 points away from 4th and we could be 1 come Sunday.

And we might be out of the Champion’s league, but we are still in Europe.

And we might have only drew with the mighty Reading, but we are still in the cup.

Of course, this constitutes a crissis at LFC… a skint club with the worst ownership imaginable, and far less resources, than let’s say, Oh Spurs.

But then I shouldn’t say that because obviously Our Arry is having a fantastic season. Which is nice… So I hope for Spurs the tax evasion, bung and corruption charges don’t hamper his great work.

Oh and PPS, Jack, my cousin lives directly facing the academy in Kirkby. He runs the local schoolboy league and they play on the amatuer pitches facing the academy. I’ve also got a mate with a lad in there. And I can’t promise anything but if you come over, I’ll see if the lads can arrange a little trip round it for you. You’ll be amazed at the facilities they have nowadays. None of that booting an aul flat pan cake of a caseball round a back jigger nowadays mate.

Have to agree with 5year here, we easily forget, or for those who have not played sport to a high level, what its like carrying a knock, trying to get back to match fitness, relying on pain killing injections or taking 2 to 3 games to recover from the previous game, all this on top of a dire lack of confidence and form. The one problem compounds the other. Whenever I get into a situation after a really shit and poor performance as we produced against Reading and personally that was the worst of the lot, when I want to stick the knife into all and sundry I remember what this team was like last year when our confidence was high our form was good and we where twatting all and sundry. What has changed? Please do not tell me our two man team has fallen apart just because Alonso has left, who was not considered part of our two man team last year and magically is know the reason we have had this bad run of form. We have brought in more than enough to compensate for the departure of Alonso. Yes we have been missing those 40 yard passes in the attacking sense but our defeats have come at the opposite end with us conceding soft goals because of the disarray at the back, 12 different combo’s will do that to a team. We have lived a bit of Murphy’s law this year when all that could have gone wrong has and we have not been able to field a fully fit side with strength on the bench or been able to rest and rotate strength for strength in order to give the guys a rest and to spice things up or to have decent options when things go wrong. It has been incredibly disappointing when it promised so much due to our strong finish to last year. Does nay of us know the extent that the current player’s fitness is at? Do any of us know how or how deliberating these injuries that the likes of Gerrard or Torres are playing trough and carrying. We know this is a good team, last year proved that, we know Rafa is one of the best managers around, despite the crap sprouted by the CBC and their likes. Yes we are in a trough that if you have ever been in a similar situation you will know how difficult it is to clime out of. Remember this though we are 4 points of Spurs after everything that we have gone through, it could have been a lot worse. We are dragging ourselves; yes it might not be the vintage football we got used to last year, inch by inch back into some type of form, result wise if not style wise. We, as we have proved under Rafa every year, know we finish very strongly in every campaign. So we have to get behind the lads and try and lift them instead of the negativity which only makes matters worse and adversely affects the team even more. Half a dozen points off the top with half the gams still to play, it could have been a lot worse with all th shit we have had to cope with, still in the FA cup and also the ueafa cup, which for all you Rafa doubters was the only competition we competed for before he came. As they say it isn’t over till the fat lady sings. YNWA

Keith mate, when I get choka with a performance, I think back to what this club was like before Rafa arrived when that sort of performance was the norm… And let’s face it, it’s not that long ago.

And though you’re right about how we played at the arse end of last season, we don’t only have that to base an opinion on… Despite everything, we have progressed every season, bar this one, under Rafa.

And the fact is… all team’s and managers have at least one season when things drop away. This isn’t an excuse, it’s fact. And look at what happened after Rafa won La Liga with Valencia. The next season, they finished fifth and well off the pace, but the following season – they won it again.

I’m not saying that will happen with us, but I am stating that if we sack Rafa now or at the end of the season, we are taking a huge gamble – that given our circumstances, will undoubtedly fail.

You only have to look at Newcastle or Leeds for proof of what happens when a club tries to solve it’s problems by sacking it’s manager. But you can look at Chelsea to prove it doesn’t even work when a club has unlimited resources and a fully supportive owner.

And you’re right in what your saying about the injuries. Torres and Gerrard are still having pre-match pain killing injections. And Rafa did warn us weeks ago that both players would struggle this season.

It also has to be remembered that both players got these injuries when playing for their national teams, even though a lot of people are starting to blame Rafa for it by saying he brought in a crap medical team.

But that’s the rub, he can’t win… he was bollacked by all’n'sundry recently for giving Gerrard a talking to before the Villa game… but then Gerrard goes out and plays his best game of the season. Yet still the man management myth persists.

Like on Sunday, The Tramp fields his 100th changed team in a row. I never saw a peep about it, but Aitch tells me it was mentioned. But we only have to look at the 2 completely different reactions to the Mancs game and ours, to see the hypocrisy and the double standards used when dealing with Rafa and all the other managers.

It doesn’t surprise me any more, but it does baffle me and to be honest upset me, that our own fans seem incapable of reckonising this and flip flop from one result to the next. Of all people you’d think they’d know the truth of what lays ahead for us if we sack Rafa over this slump. But I’ve heard them all again on the radio this morning, still moaning, whingeing and calling for Rafa’s head.

The very people they are calling are rubbing their hands in glee. And I honestly fear if this doesn’t turn round soon, these idiots who are being played like a bloody piano by the likes of Stan Collymoore will help the bastards shove Rafa out and we will wallow, rudderless for years, at best in mid-table mediocrity – or far worse, knowing Hicks blueprint for success – at worst dropping like a stone with no way back.

I could honestly choke them when I hear/read them. But LB is right on this… injuries and injections or not, these players better start getting their act together soon, or we really could be on the edge of some very very dire times.

Just seen this on Sky.
10.35 Atletico Madrid winger Maxi Rodriguez is close to joining Liverpool according to his agent Jurgen Milewski.
Guillem Balague doesn’t exactly sing the guys praises (fighting with team mates, been totally off the boil this season) but I suppose we have to get excited about any new signing & the ‘potential’ impact he/they can have.

As well as the Rodriguez rumours, the Independent reports that Birmingham City have bid £8m for Ryan Babel. Liverpool are unlikely to accept Birmingham’s opening bid as they value the Dutchman at around £12m.

The Independent suggests that a deal could be done at around £10m, with Liverpool then bidding for the Russian guy at Tottenham (sorry, can’t spell his name………… It begins with a “P”.

Maxi fighting with his team mates? Fuck me, we should definitely sign him then. Fighting spirit seems to be in short supply at Anfield just now!

Here you go…
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Steven-Gerrard-Liverpool-haven-t-been-good-enough-this-season-and-it-s-the-players-fault-article277973.html

That enough leadership or what?

Thank fuck it wasn’t Rafa that said it though.

Aitch,
thanks for the reply but i think Jan’s response is like we are all feeling, so close last season and could’nt wait for this season to start and bang, like FS has said no one and i entirely agree can actually put their finger on what has happened to the team that played for fun for most of the last half of last season, and then start playing the the kind of abject football we have been witnessing of late.
And i hear you Aitch on the luxury cars and fantastic wages, so what more motivation do they need.
They bigged themselves up against the mancs then same for the Everton game, why not the likes of Portsmouth away and Reading.
Now i dont want to open a can of political worm’s so lads this is only a metaphor, i’d like Rafa to get the whole squad this summer and take them to one of the townships in Soweto and let them have a look at the misery that goes on there and ask them if they think are hard done by.
Like i say lad’s its only a metaphor.
YNWA.

Steve I think you are referring to Pavlyuchenko. Don’t know much about either player, except they have both scored against us and neither of them have played this season for their respective teams.

Could it be that Balague was wrong? BM will be devastated.

BTW, I would rip Birmingham’s arm off for 8 million for babel.

theredman, I think that one of the big differences was that against the teams that we are expected to beat, they played the old rope-a-dope trick with everyone behind the ball and then hit us on the break. After 25 minutes when we did not get a goal we sort of lost direction and then fell-apart.

The mancs did not do this and got the result they deserved.

Having said this, Reading played some good open football against us and we could not respond like we did against the mancs. This is why I was so frustrated with this match. Why we couldn’t respond? Like you, FS, Atich etc have said, it’s very difficult to put your finger on it.

We are a top team but not showing it at the moment. It’s very frustrating. Away to kick something!

Didn’t kick anything but found this – equally pleasing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRZTna7tRHk

Don’t be going away, read this…
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Steven-Gerrard-Liverpool-haven-t-been-good-enough-this-season-and-it-s-the-players-fault-article277973.html

Everyone needs to get a look at it.

And I agree Red, but I don’t think they have to leave Liverpool to see how hard some people have it. In fact, the trip to Alder Hey should have done it last week.

Shankly done it a few times, after bad performances made them face the fans. But I also think some of us need to stop getting carried away… As I keep saying, we need to look at the reality of our situation and judge it accordingly.

But I tell you what, and I’ve been meaning to say this for a while but kept it back for the best moment. And I don’t think it is now either but fuck it.
In the 1981/82 season we was 12 points off the top of the table by Christmas. And…

1981-1982
Date Result Against Stadium Competition
16.09.1981 1 – 0 Oulu Palloseura Raatti Stadium European Cup 1st R 1st L
30.09.1981 7 – 0 Oulu Palloseura Anfield European Cup 1st R 2nd L
21.10.1981 2 – 2 AZ 67 Alkmaar Olympic Stadium European Cup 2nd R 1st L
04.11.1981 3 – 2 AZ 67 Alkmaar Anfield European Cup 2nd R 2L
03.03.1982 1 – 0 CSKA Sofia Anfield European Cup 3rd R 1st L
17.03.1982 0 – 2 CSKA Sofia Vassil Levski European Cup 3rd R 2nd L

As you can see we was out of the European Cup in the 3rd round.

And look when we went out of the FA Cup, and even worse, who knocked us out…
1980-1981
Date Result Against Stadium Competition
03.01.1981 4 – 1 Altrincham Anfield FA Cup 3rd round
24.01.1981 1 – 2 Everton Goodison Park FA Cup 4th round

There was no where near the amount of them, but there was kneejerkers knocking around even in the glory years. A few of them even called for the bosses’ head. This is what he had to say to them…

“I never thought the day would come when I would have to appeal to our own fans to give us more support, but that is what we need right now. Too many people take it for granted that we only have to turn up to win.”

Shamed, the crowd done as it was asked, and this is what happened at the end of the season…
1st Division League table for the 1981-1982 season
# Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD Pts
1 LFC 42 14 3 4 39 14 12 6 3 41 18 48 87
2 Ipswich 42 17 1 3 47 25 9 4 8 28 28 22 83
3 Man Utd 42 12 6 3 27 9 10 6 5 32 20 30 78
4 Tottenham 42 12 4 5 41 26 8 7 6 26 22 19 71
5 Arsenal 42 13 5 3 27 15 7 6 8 21 22 11 71

Fucking good job, faith can move mountains, or they might have just got Paisley the sack!

Oh and you only got 2 points for a win back then but – even though we was the same amount off the top then as we are now – we still clawed it back and won it by 4 points.

Now I’m not saying we can do that again. But I am saying – and I don’t even mean in here – some people need to get a grip.

Don’t know about you lads, but I’m really looking forward to the next half of the season. Even if we don’t turn it round, well, even if we got relegated, I’d still be a Red, but I can imagine some of us will just be left with red faces come May.

FS, you are right we are not far behind the top 4 at all – although we are 7th. But the manner of some of these performances. The Portsmouth and the Reading games n particular. Goodness me it was awful. To me it looked like some players quit during the match. I’m seeing Lucas, Insua and Darby play their heart out and fucking Gerrard jumping out of tackles. Kuyt giving the ball to blue and white shirts every other occasion and Torres spending most of the game moaning to the ref and opposition defenders. It’s doing my head in.

With our money situation or lack of money situation I am not expecting us to win the title or the CL but I do expect the team to show some balls, effort and quality against the likes of Portsmouth and Reading.

Getting £8 mill for Babel would be terrific business.Along with the cash received for Dosser and Voro gives about £14 mill.Enough for 2 decent players?.

Cheeseburger: What about the wages, that would have to come out of the (potential) 14 mill? Do any of you know if Rafa will be allowed to spend any/all of money he makes from January sales? Or are we just assuming?

Thanks very much FS for your comments AND in anticipation of all things to come,do they still get the River Kopbeer flowing down the steps,by the way? The “golden years” are not very golden at times, but you make it possible.
OK fellas I give up to you more knowledgeable modern types and I promise (to misquote Shakespeare) to praise Lucas,not to bury him.
Here’s looking forward to Spur the Reds on over the week-end,YWNA.

Jack, the days of the rolled up Echo are long gone, which is both a relief and a bit sad in it’s own way. The Kop is lovely now, but then I liked it just the way it was… golden rivers an all. Well, maybe not that. But I don’t half miss the atmosphere.

As for Lucas, I think it’s the fact that the lad is very unspectacular. He just goes about his business with no real fireworks, and it does tend to show up his mistakes rather than all the simple stuff he does really well.

I have a feeling Aquilani may bring out the best in him. But I definetely agree that he can’t shoot to save his life. If he could just add that and a few goals to his game, I think he will become a great player for us.

As for his heading, that’s another myth. The lad hardly loses a header at the back, even against big massive center forwards. If he could add that to his game going forward, I’d be made up.

And I suppose in a way, that shows the mystery of this team at the moment… The lad can head a ball, but I’ve hardly ever seen him get a header on the end of a cross into the box. Like I said LB, why a team of this caliber can’t suddenly do even the basics is beyond me. And why the most solid defence in the league, just can’t defend all of a sudden is a complete mystery to me.

I don’t think all the circumstances, injuries and that, can just be discarded. And I understand why Torres is kicking off… I wish Rafa would on his behalf. These yard dog defenders are just kicking the lad, well, that and butting, elbowing and punching him, out of the game. I really fear for him sometimes.

But anyway, I do think teams raise their game against us. That does have an effect – like it did for us against the Toffees and the Mancs. I think the injuries, and playing through pain is a huge part of our current form as is the complete lack of confidence and the constantly unsettled team. Rotating players and being without them through injury is two completely different things… like, some games we’ve really missed the balance and width Riera gives us, but I wouldn’t expect him to play all the time even when fit.

Look at Babel for instance… was it the Fiorentina game that he scored that rocket of a goal? I can’t think off the top of me head. But anyway, he scores a rocket from a really difficult position. Gets another chance seconds later, let’s fly and the bloody thing goes out for a throw in!

How can you work that out? I can’t. And it’s the same with the whole team, more or less, at the moment… I sit there shaking me head, baffled.

Against Reading, when we finally settled down and took a grip of the game in the last 15 minutes of the first half, when the whistle went I thought… Oh well, we’ll batter these now.

Before the players even got off the pitch, I’d stopped and thought to meself…
Hang on, let’s see.

Before they got back on the pitch, I was thinking…
“Oh fuck, I hope we don’t lose this. We’ll be a laughing stock and the knives will be out again.”

It’s a bloody mystery mate. Oh well, never a dull moment, I suppose.

Has anyone looked at that Gerrard link?

#120: I don’t believe a single word that comes out of Anfield about money at the moment. So, concerning transfers, I won’t believe anything until I see a new player photographed in the shirt, under the TIA sign, smiling, holding a scarf over his head with Rafa. And even then I’ll have a few doubts.

Fs,
i think that rocket of Babel’s was against Lyon in the away leg.
And about us being a laughing stock ? well i think sky-sports have been trying to make us look just that ever since they got the right’s to screen live matches.
YNWA.

beat me to it FS
at times I have to blink cause I keep thinking Sami’s back in the side with those defensive headers, then I realise it’s L’il Lucas. If he could aim he’d be a bloody potent weapon in the box!
Actually, thinking about it it must be something to do with the flight of the ball because he’s nowhere near as good with defensive and offensive crosses – but anything else coming high into our midfield, it’s usually Scapegoat clearing the danger…

And he’s still no’but a boy…Lucas the only premiership player to have his first name on his shirt.

Burgerman?
Was that a neutral post just then?

Sorry Fs,
meant to comment on your link, yes he is right that the players need to take a good look at themselves but he’s as culpable as the rest as someone above has suggested (sulking, pulling out of tackles and giving the bad eye to any player who put’s a pass to him where he does not like it).
And as for Nando moaning at the ref a lot of the time, well last season did’nt Rafa sort of tell him off and told him to concentrate on his game, that seem’s to have gone out of the window, dont get me wrong he is getting kicked, butted and punched from pillar to post but most of his appeals mainly fall on deaf ears, so why on earth does’nt he get on with it.
YNWA.

Rumours aside, and keeping one foot on the floor, which two players would you like to see come in in January?

I’d not paid any attention to him before the recent speculation but I do like the runs in to the box that Maxi makes.
And I know I said one foot on the floor but it would be great to have Silva in the team…

That’s right Redman. It was Lyon, and then thinking about it… it was a freekick (I think) seconds later, he wellied at goal and it flew the width of the pitch and out for a free kick.

The only real concern I’ve got about Babel now is… he’ll move onto another English club and become a great success. The press/media and some of our supporters will have a field day with that. I can already see the stick Rafa will get for it, but they’ll just miss the point…

Babel is out of place at LFC. He doesn’t fit us and we don’t fit him. It’s a shame. But in all honesty, it’s been a complete waste of time for both the club and the player.

McRed, you’re completely right about Lucas. The little fella can’t half leap, but he must have a head like a 50p pence piece. He just can’t get any direction on the headers. Hopefully, maturity will cure that though.

As for players, there’s the little bit of optomist in me that clings to the hope Rafa will pull something out of the bag. But then the realism of life under H&G kicks in, and tells me to behave meself.

As for Stevie Red, I think he has every right to bollack them. Did you see him leaving balls to Pacheco and getting out of his way a couple of times… it’s obvious he trusts the lad. But it must be hard to keep pulling the others out of the bag and not getting pissed off about it. He’s had too much heaped on his shoulders for far too long. And same with Torres, defenders are taking it in turns to kick the shit out of him and not drawing cards for it by appologising to the gimpy refs with big smiles on their faces as they drag Torres to his feet.

It’s the oldest trick in the book. They don’t even get away with it in the Huyton Sunday league nowadays, but the idiot refs in the Prem are falling for it. I agree the best way to answer it is to score and I’m sure the lad will keep doing it but the refs really have to get a grip and give the lad some protection. By that I don’t mean special treatment. I just mean do their bloody job and start handing out cards, fouls and penalties when they are deserved. It would soon bloody stop it.

But the fact is, they treat him worse than bloody Drogba. Breath on that fella, and they’ll award a kick when he’s rolling on the rolling around and twitching like he’s snapped his knacker pan.

FS,
Jack Hill will have a laugh at this,
8 ins of snow fell on merseyside last night and then again this afternoon, bang everything has come to a standill, honestly they postponed the bus services at 3 oclock this aftrenoon, most of the shops in Huyton village and Prescot closed at 3-30,
and people were screaming where’s the gritters honest mate it’s fuckin funny Liverpool city council said they ordered 80 ton of grit for this “severe” weather my missus said is that a lot i said yeah it’ll do about 30 pathways in our road.
And by the way why not let Torres get special treatment Ronaldo the portuguese w-nker (i or A)got a lot of it.
YNWA.

Same down here Red. Daft bastards. I think there’s about 3 tea spoons of grit left in the country.

5:30 this morning, took about half hour to get the outside of me van sorted, turned fully blue by the time I got into it, and then realised it was frozen on the inside an all… fucking nightmare. And I’m out early again in the morning and they reckon, the blizzard is only about to start tonight.

Could always be worse… could be a Manc.

Oh shit… Looks like it’s only going to get worse….
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/sky-sports-promises-decade-of-relentlessly-overhyped-bullshit-201001042348/

Eh Redman, if it’s weird for us, what must these lads be thinkin…
http://www.offthepost.info/2010/01/liverpool-frolic-in-the-snow-at-training/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+offthepost%2FTLAa+%28Off+The+Post%29

#126

McrRed,Burgerman can`t answer its past his bedtime.

Same over here the oul salt is in short supply.I`ve a packet of Saxo in the cupboard i might flog it there might make a killing on it.
Not that bad where i am but imagine Russia or some place like that.
My sister lives just outside new york and there`s 3 feet of it out there.
And we moan eh..

Keith, regarding #106, I one word for you mate… paragraphs!

50p. heh heh

Saxo. heh heh

With you Aitch, FS, Keith and also Jack and LB. Great posts.

I would like Stevie to do a bit more talking on the field whatever he does off of it. Actually he also could do with not twatting Manc DJ’s as well that I think about it.

They gotta fight for their name and reputation right now. Teams look forward to playing against us because they know they can take control of games and outfight us.
Fools that Villa are they sat back, let us play and we looked good and desrved the win. Reading showed no such quibbles and set about us, as did Portsmouth (and Wolves). It will be interesting to see what attitude ‘Arry and the Spurs have coming to Anfield on Sunday. If they come for a point they’ll lose I’d say but if they come to play and take the game they have a very good chance of walking away with 3 points.
Sad to say.

Dougle if Stevie could perform like he did after twatting that manc last season i hope he`d do it every week.Then we`d get Stevie on fire all the time and a manc smacked every week to boot.

Everyones a winner.

As for the spurs,they`ll come and have a go.I`ve no doubt about that.Arry won`t come for a draw.If he gets one he`ll be over the moon,but i coudn`t see them inviting us on hoping to catch us on the break.
At the moment with our confidence levels down we seem a bit unsure of ourselves.When we go ahead,we seem to get nervous.When we go behind we seem out of ideas.In some games a bit lost.Fulham,pompey come to mind.

We have lost that fear factor we had last season.Teams are looking at Liverpool now and are thinking “we can take these”.So more and more teams are having a go.Reading had a go last week,there manager probably told them they`ve nothing to lose.How did we respond?Well you all know.Immediately we responded very well and reading were saved by the bell at half-time but we came out second half and were second best.

So i don`t expect spurs to come and defend,they`ll fancy there chances.I wouldn`t blame them they are a good side going forward.It`s up to the players in the red shirt to play that high tempo,in your face game that has served us so well in the past.

Stevie has said it`s the players fault.Well i want to see those players step up to the plate on sunday and show what we can do.The captain has made the call time for him and the troops to answer.

Expect loads of high balls hit at Crouch, flick ons to Defoe, and then him trying to skin whichever full back he’s facing at the time with pure pace.

At our best, we’d swat that off with disdain and pass and move them off the park. At the moment, I’m not too sure. But hopefully the lads will all be up for it and some of them will be a bit closer to full fitness. I reckon just that alone would be enough to get us the points.

They’re not a bad outfit, but we’re far far better. It’s just all down to shaking this bloody slump off and getting some confidence into our game.

I think Aquilani could make a big difference in this one. And it might even be good to play Kyriagos, and tell him to just muscle Crouch out. But that would mean dropping Carra and it’s not going to happen.

Lads anyone heard of a film called ‘Of Time and the City’? Its a documentary on Liverpool by Terence Davies, a Liverpudlian himself, and how the city, its culture, its architecture, everything really, formed and influenced his life. Its basically a love letter to Liverpool and life in it from the post war era to the modern day. I only heard about it tonight watching ‘At the Movies’. It made one of the reviewers top 5 picks of the year! It looks fascinating. Anyone seen it?

Trailer here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1kmDMJyR4A

YEah Digger. I’ve got it on DVD. I’m not much kop on these things but if there’s a way I can email it you or anything let me know, and I’ll get it to you.

But if you want to watch a great old film on Liverpool life, especially the footy, you really should watch the Golden Vision. It’s a blue nose play, but it’s by Ken Loach and it’s fuckin great.

Hang on, I think I know a way for you to watch it.

Here’s a little snippet of it…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poEJBEjnDjU

I’ve got to go to bed. Been in here far too much today – stuck at home nursing 3 women. 3 bloody generations of them an all… Missus, Daughter, Grandaughter. And you think Rafa has problems.

Thank fuck, I’m up and out at 5 in the morning.

Night Night.

“FatScouser suffers Injury Nightmare”

see, I told you it was just a fuckin weird season!

Can’t see this in the above threads but on the TIA main site it seems Dosser’s gone to Napoli…£4.4M.

No matter what’s said, will always love him for the goal against Utd…
Good luck young man!

And Real.He`ll always be thought of when that week is mentioned in the future.

£4.4 to RBS then.

AP Newswire
06/01/2010

Reports are emerging this morining that 4.4 million pounds is mysteriously “unaccounted for” in Liveprool Football Club’s January tranfer fund.
“We wired the money last night.” insisted an unnamed spokesman for Naopli Football Club, “And receipt of funds was confirmed.”

Yet this morning, as manager Rafael Benitez looked to tie up the incoming transfer of Maxi Rodriguez, the account balance was 0.

“We’re looking into it.” said a spokesman for the club’s owners.

Hicks and Gillette were unavailable for comment as they were vacationing with family on their newly purchased Bahaman island.

(DOH???)

Apparently we’re now reduced to loan only options in the January transfer window. Wow, Moores your a fucking shame, are you a Manchester share holder. FFS.
.
Apparently even if Rafa raises about 16 million, he’s getting nothing. Our illustrious owners are doing everything they can to get him to walk, I hope he’s as stubborn as we all think, shafts it right up them.
.
While I’m on a rant, Maxi may have been a good player but right now he can’t even get a start in the Athleti team. Before anyone bites my head of with the he won’t sign a new contract jargon, ponder this. If SG was leaving in the summer would we stop playing him, or would we use him at all costs and find a replacement (hopefully) in the summer. I know what we’d do.
.
I hope he’s better than what we have sold. Is he going to be better than Doss, Babel or even Voronin. I hope so, for the teams sake, I really hope so.

Well Gaz,

Remember someone called Javier Mascherano who couldn’t even start in West Ham’s team and became a first team regular from Liverpool?

Let’s hope he’ll turn out good

MAxi would be a great steal…at a meagre 1.5m on a 2 year contract (or is it more….)

As we feared…
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article6977050.ece

Hopefully we WILL get Maxi, and hopefully he is NOT past it & will add some creativity on the park!

According to Guardian, even if Rafa manages to make 16m out of sales….. the transfer budget he will get is just a meagre 1.5m + 1 loan deal…Those pricks….!!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/06/liverpool-rafael-benitez-loan-signings

Rafael Benítez will have to rely on the £1.5m capture of Maxi Rodríguez and possibly one loan signing to revitalise Liverpool’s squad during this transfer window even if the club succeed in raising more than £16m through player sales.

The Liverpool manager had expected to operate this month under the same financial constraints that existed throughout 2009 at Anfield: namely, spending no more than he can bring in from sales. Even that model now seems optimistic, however, with Benítez likely to be restricted to signing Rodríguez on an 18-month contract from Atlético Madrid plus one loan deal as he attempts to fulfil his guarantee of qualifying for the Champions League for a sixth successive season.

Liverpool are making good progress in their efforts to offload much of the dead wood in Benítez’s squad by the end of January, and all for permanent transfer fees. Andriy Voronin and Andrea Dossena are close to joining Dynamo Moscow and Napoli respectively, Philipp Degen is the subject of interest from several sides in the Bundesliga, while the Anfield club have also rejected a bid in excess of £8m from Birmingham City for their unwanted Holland forward, Ryan Babel. Yet Benítez’s hopes of strengthening his attack with a firm offer for the Aston Villa and former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, for example, are expected to be dashed, as such a deal would be beyond his resources.

Liverpool insiders claim the constraints have not been imposed on Benítez by the club’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Executives believe players bought in the January transfer window are habitually overpriced and the club would rather save the income from sales to build a war chest for the summer. But there will be immense disappointment at the latest financial balancing act for a manager who last month confirmed the need to reduce the Americans’ debt on Liverpool had taken precedence over investing in a squad that finished runners-up in the Premier League last season.

Benítez may therefore be tempted to retain players on the periphery of his plans, and he announced at the weekend that Babel would not be leaving Anfield this month. “At this moment we are not trying to sell him,” said the Liverpool manager, following the FA Cup draw at Reading. Liverpool have since received and rejected an offer from Birmingham that would allow them to recoup much of the £11.5m paid to Ajax for Babel in 2007, although the club’s stance may be influenced by a desire to encourage an auction for the disillusioned 23-year-old.

Besiktas, Galatasaray and Juventus have all been linked with Babel, and several Spanish clubs are also interested. Liverpool would prefer to sell Babel to a European club than risk him fulfilling his promise at a domestic rival, but Birmingham may withdraw their interest and pursue alternative targets should an auction develop.

While there is uncertainty over where Babel will be employed next month, Liverpool’s hopes of finally getting rid of Voronin and Dossena for good are close to being realised. Benítez tried to sell the former, a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in 2007, and Dossena, a £7m arrival from Udinese in 2008, last summer only to be thwarted on both fronts. CSKA and Dynamo Moscow have made offers for Voronin of between £1.5m and £2m, with the latter club the favourites to clinch the deal after holding talks with the player yesterday. Napoli are close to taking Dossena back to Italy for a fee of £4.4m. Degen is also available this month providing a fee can be agreed with Liverpool.

The Anfield club are poised to sign the Argentina international Rodríguez, despite interest in the right-sided midfielder from Boca Juniors, after improving their offer from an initial loan arrangement to a permanent 18-month transfer. Once the fee and wages for Rodríguez have been accounted for, however, Benítez could be limited to only one other loan deal.

Just saw that Rafa won’t even be getting any cash even if he offloads players (T Barrett in the Times).

Clear signal yanks are making life as difficult as possible & hope he resigns.

What are the chances Real will come calling . . . again?

Hands up who is actually surprised with this??

If we get Maxi and a right back on loan Rafa will be doing well.

Timmy, not surprised but it’s just sickening that now even Birmingham have more transfer muscle than us. Come to think of it, there is now only Portsmouth, West Ham and Accrington Stanley that are lagging behind us.

I think the big problem is that we have to give Roma 7m for Aquaman this month and Rafa, probably, has to offload the players to fund this instalment.

As I said, it’s just fookin’ sickening.

Not sure about the right-back loan though. I think that Kelly could do a job there when Magic is not available. He’s due to be available on the 10th Jan, supposedly. Also, we could shift Carra out there and put our future CB partnership into the middle. Carra might not like it but so what. He does fine when he plays there, even if we miss a bit going forward.

Just I think that the loan move could be better used somewhere else.

Well regardless of who comes in, we just need a spark and bobs your uncle, anything can happen. If this doesn’t spark Babel into showing his best I don’t know what will. He has hardly any fit players to content against, games stacking up left right and centre, if he lifted his game it would be equivalent to a brand new player.
.
However if we sell him, it’s money down the black hole. I understand the Yanks are he to make money but how can anyone run a business into the ground and expect to survive.

All the best Rafa, I reckon you’ll be the first out the door this window, if you don’t your a glutten for punishment. (No disrespect to Rafa intended).

Haven’t seen much on the Arda Turan transfer rumour. Has this been binned or is it one of those things where it all goes quiet and then “bang” he gets signed? I’m guessing binned.

Binned I’m guessing Arman. Jesus if thats true that all Rafas getting from sales is 1.5 for Maxi its a fucken disgrace. Regular readers will know I’m not a fan of Rafa or his methods but for fucks sake let the man do his job. If it was me I’d be long gone. Anyway, thanks Tim and Fatty, must go hunting for that film this wknd. Yeah I watched ‘Golden Vision’ when you posted the links in the past, great show. Really looking forward to seeing this one.

Btw I see on other sites that Jans interview over here last month is causing much consternation. Dont mind the headlines and soundbites lads, the full interview is available at LFCNY.org and although its almost 2hrs long I gurantee you its worth the time. Enthralling in its entirety, it covers everything and in context. Its episode 51 of mp radio when you get into the site. Your welcome lads!

Alright gents
enjoying all the comments as usual and agreeing with most of them. Lucas is very underrated in my opinion by a lot of our fans and by nearly everyone outside of liverpool FC, and I think someone stated above that the reason is that he isnt a flash player, but what he does he does very well and really isnt a headline grabber. I think he’ll end the season with 4-5 goals if he can just get a lucky break and get one to go in, even off his arse!!
I was delighted to see the interview from Stevie, maybe this will wake him and the rest of the players up, if we can beat spurs we have 4 very winnable games before three tricky ones against everton, arsenal and city, so win the first 5 i reckon we’ll be well up there and then ya never know, it wont be easy based on the season so far but i’m an eternal optimist!!
I’m off to anfield on sunday for the game, getting the ferry over so not too worried bout getting to liverpool, my only fear now is that they will call the game off!! If they do i’ll still get to go on the beer in liverpool which is no bad thing!! any of the local lads reckon there’s a chance it could be called off? Is the snow very bad there?

Galway thats the type of thinking i can get behind. However Ive found myself being a little to optimistic this season a secretly getting excited after every decent result we ground out.
I refuse to give up on this season simply because we our Liverpool but I’m also terrified Gerry will be writing a blog in early august called “the season that never was” but that all remains to be seen.

I’m from northern ireland and we always seem to get all the snow after england and its just covered the country today,so hopefully you’ll get to see the game OK. I hope for your sake you do because travelling over and not getting to a game is so frustrating. It happened to me a few times and i was gutted,though i’m sure you know how to have a good time should the worst case scenario present itself!!

FS,sorry about your triple play but you do get out of the house.
I had to laugh at Sammy Lee’s remarks about Rafa in one of your links.
Before I forget again, you have more snow in Liverpool than we do in Mount Hope,which is now part of Hamilton,although it still retains its identity for postal reasons.The prevailing wind is north-westerly but when it changes direction and comes off Lake Ontario,look out,we get dumped upon-so far we have been lucky and only have a couple of inches due to flurries.
My widowed younger sister lives in Southport (Crossens), I will ring her up shortly to see how she is getting on.
Regarding the team-I hope they batter the Spurs and we see “Hopeless Harry” looking more miserable than usual.
YNWA.

Well, I hate to say I told you so lads, but fuck it….
I’ve been screaming it for the last three transfer windows and that’s not counting that one now!

Since the Yanks arrives Rafa has had a net spend of £12,700,000. Yep, under 13 million a season. Now do the bloody maths on what he’s brought in through sales…. Yep. He hasn’t had a fucking bean in real terms.

If you read that Guardian article, it mentions Babel joining Rickard at Galatasary. That was the deal last summer… Babel and a few quid to them. Arda Turan to us. Fly in the ointment… Babel didn’t want to go to Turkey. We never even had the few quid to make up the difference anyway!

So now we’ve no choice but to gamble on Rodriguez who, like I said, can’t get into the Atleti team.

And there’s no need to do maths here. There fuckin is none… the sales of Degen and Vronin who cost us fuck all, will pay for that.

It seems people are assuming this is a ploy by the Yanks to shove Rafa out the door… WAKE UP LADS!

Except for spending any money – The yanks don’t give a fuck what Rafa does. The couldn’t give a damn whether he comes or goes, cos they don’t give a toss about the club.

Last month I told you that SOS barred them from entering Anfield. They have been told they aren’t welcome in their own club and forciblly turned away…. The gloves are off!

Why didn’t the filthy media report any of this?

I’d think the owners of a huge club like Liverpool being effectively stopped from entering their own club, would be big news.

But what have the media made of all this… well, I heard an hours phone in on Talk Shite – the subject… has Rafa lost the plot, bringing in another mediocre Spanish speaking player.

The zenophobia behind it all was quite disgusting – both Rafa and Maxi being slatted as Latin losers who aren’t fit for the English game.

Do you know what, I’ve got loads to say about all this, but I really can’t be arsed right not. I’ll get back with it later.But I’m just to sick of it all right now.

And maybe BM was right after all… we might just have to bring in Larson.

PS… Digger I don’t know if you’ve seen any of Terence Davies films. They are Art House movies. Sort of personal memoirs of the city, just old footage of Liverpool with a voice over and some moody classical music. He made one cracker called The Long Day Closes. It won millions of awards, but it wasn’t a film film. It was a lookback on his childhood all done in song. His films aren’t shite but as I say they are sort of an acquired taste… Arty farty film buffs gear.

FS, by all accounts Digger is a Tweed jacket wearing, pipe smoking connoisseur of the arts so he’ll appreciate that sort of film. This is a man if you remember that was quoting Romeo and Juliet in my direction recently.

LB…
We are all in the gutter my friend, but some of us are looking at the stars!

Roarin, I am an eternal optimist but obviously realism tells me that a top 4 finish would be a great achievement based on our season so far and all the events off the pitch that everyone has discussed all season long.
I just hope that if we can beat spurs, maybe get 9 or 10 points out of the following 4 matches we’ll be in a very good position to make the top 4.
Still, given everyones optimism at the start of the season, its been a complete damp squid of a season so far, but the optimism was fully justified based on last season.
The reason for that was rafa and the players we have and the ability we all know they have to go on a 10 match winning streak. they just need a bit of luck to drag themselves out of this slump.
Keep the faith!!!

No Fatty never seen em, never even heard of him til I saw yer mans review last night. But as with everything in my life the minute I heard ‘Liverpool’ my interest was piqued. I’ll definitely give it a look. Now, wheres my slippers and pipe….

Fuck all the doom and gloom. To those who remember Aussie Kop Fan….
He’s been over here lately, goes home tomorrow. I didn’t get to see the lad, too busy. But I got me mate’s lad to meet him at Villa Park with a ticket.

Remember the weather at that game? Well, he’d just left the scalding Aussie summer and found himself in that. Said he had a great time but froze his bollacks off.

Well, I just talked to him earlier. He’s off home tomorrow. Bet he isn’t half looking forward to the sun… especially as the poor bastard has just went to Anfield to take the tour, but it was closed due to the weather.

He was alright though. Someone let him into the stadium and showed him the European Cup, got pictures holding it an that. He then headed into town to look round the city. I told him me favourite pubs… all shut. And that’s unheard of… it must be really bad up there.

He said he had to head back to his birds. She’s from Southport near Liverpool. They was having a meal and some drinks with her family before they go back to Australia tomorrow.

I said he had to try Cooper’s before heading out of town. It’s a great little alehouse, full of great old Scouse charachters….

It was open. He’s been in there all day. Texted me a few times, said he loved it and was having a great craic.

He’s now bladdered and late for the dinner.

HA! Poor bastard…. He’ll get a hiding now on top of everything else.

Digger he’s best one is The Long Day Closes. It’s the first of two parts – first, his childhood, second as a young man. Can’t think of the name of part two off the top of me head….
They’re different, but worth a look though. Something to discuss with the intelegensia over brandy and a cigar after the Cheese board.

Nice to hear Aussie doing well FS. Nice touch that letting him into the stadium like that.

Just read that Paddy Berger has announced his retirement. What a great left foot that lad had. Pity he was injured so much but what can you do.

Seems that Nando is putting the graft in to get fit.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article6977059.ece

Good on the lad!

“Digger is a Tweed jacket wearing, pipe smoking connoisseur of the arts … a man if you remember that was quoting Romeo and Juliet in my direction recently.”

That is just too funny! I now have an image of Digger as the slightly effeminite looking Leonardo DiCaprio Romeo in Baz Lurhman’s version… (oh dear!)

“What light through yonder window breaks? Tis the fair London Barnes….”

Well if you’re gonna go quoting Bill Shakespeare, how about one that really matters/applies to our current predicament… something along the lines of …

“That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.
Then shall our names, familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.”
St. Cripen’s Day Speech, from Henry V
William Shakespeare, 1599

(how’s that for some “intelegensia over brandy and a cigar after the Cheese board” FS?)

What de ????

Galway,
i live about 30mins from the ground and it is pretty bad, all local bus services still off, but the problem is it is going to be a couple of degrees (according to weather report) below freezing tonight and as none of the snow has thawed as it usually does here it will freeze rock solid, but that wont trouble Anfield as they have undersoil heating, but the problem will probably be safety issues travelling to and around the ground.
Fuck Aitch, i have a migraine after that little lot, took me back to the 5th year in school the Capulets and Montagues and all the other useless shit they crammed into us.

“Capulets and Montagues”

Sounds like a couple of them and a nice steaming bowl of the other would be just the thing in this weather though.

LOL FS,
i think it’s the surname’s of George and Mildred.
Just listened to the weather for our region and most of England, tonight it’s gonna be cold, 8 below so lad’s be ready for a knock on the door by a brass monkey looking for a welder.

Let see what BM makes of the grammar and spelling in #174

theredman, it’s now knocking on -12 here, could go as low as -15, but there is no snow. So it’s cold as feck but you can get about, with several layers of clothing.

He`ll be baffled Lurg,he wouldn`t have done shakespear yet in school.Give him his dues though,he`s some speller for a young fella.And he dosen`t even use spellcheck.

I`ve never looked forward to a summer as i have this year.Nothing to do with our season,its this bloody bitter cold weather everywhere.I guess its because its winter but you`d never know

What happened to global warming?Not feclin warm now is it.They must of got rid of it when they had that global conference in Copenhagen last a few weeks back.

Bring back global warming.Lets warm the globe.

Christ i`m bored.

LurganK,
that is cold man but i bet you have fun snapping dog’s off lamp-posts and trees.
Yeah wish Burgerbrain was here i could have built him a snowman and showed him how to make a snow angel.
TimmyT i never look forward to our summer’s as last years lasted tuesday and wednesday of the first week of june pissed down the rest of the time, thats why a lot of people in the northwest of England have red hair, its nothing to to with genetics or Anglo Saxon heritage, their heads are fuckin rusty.
YNWA.

Whoop’s
that should read, it’s nothing to DO with genetics blah blah, sorry Burgerbrain.

Ha nice one Red.
So yous got two whole days.I envy you pal.

Let me know when the summer is on i might come over for a bit of a hol

Looks like everyone’s Turkeying for a bit of footy. But, and don’t laugh this isn’t a joke…
In all fairness to BM, if he stopped trying to be such a contrary bastard by dropping his little bombs on people’s comments, stopped using the pointless Manc/Arse/Chav comparisons, calling for the manager’s head, and slagging off all our players and praising everyone else’s, and cut out the ridiculous suggestions, he’d have some fair points.

I was tempted to stop there and say… forget it. It is a joke.

But, in all fairness when he stops all that nonsense, he does make the odd sensible point/observation.

Serious though the match could be under threat from weather.Red you would know better being right in the thick of it but weren`t all the games this week postponed because of difficulties getting to the game rather than the pitches?

Do you think it`ll go ahead?

Liverpool have rejected an improved offer from Birmingham City (9 mil) for Ryan Babel

If they up the offer to 10.5 mil, I reckon it will be accepted. What do you lads think?

Yes Steve the club will hold out for double figures.Birmingham have a bit of cash behind them so if they want Babel they might go that extra bit.

Too bad it hasn`t worked out for the lad.We`ve had many a discussion in here why but i wish him well,obviously not against us thats if it the deal goes through.
He has the tools to be a top player.Once he works hard its up to him how far he can go.

If the club gets say 10m thats nearly 15 million brought in.What will Rafa get??

Fook all,thats what.

Timmy, in the Prem, I think there’s only Portsmouth (Maybe Fulham)who don’t have undersoil heating. The games are never called off for the pitch anymore. It’s always because of, travel, the area around the ground and the stands. But most of all, in these days it’s because of all the compo claims if anyone falls.

AS for transfers…
http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Liverpool-Transfer-Bonanza-_-Sell-4,-Get-one-free!.html

I hope you are right FS otherwise i won’t be happy!! Concerned about your comment about the pubs being closed too!!
I reckon if it was the summer transfer window they’d take the 9 million for babel.
We need to keep him though, he is a potential striker if our injuries get any worse.

I am now totally confused. Firstly we only have a mars bar and a packet of chips and we can only get that if we sell someone and our two twats have even taken that away from Rafa. It makes no sense, we sell Babel for 9 or 10 and the money goes into the clubs account and will not be made available to Rafa. That money would have enabled Rafa to bring in Turan. What is the point of selling anyone if he cannot get the money, all we do is weaken our squad, which is not strong enough anyway. Fine Dossena, Degen and Vorinon will make no difference as they don’t play. Talk about tying Rafas hands behind his back this is so obvious it is ridicules. We spent zero in the last two transfer windows but that’s not enough know he cannot spend what he brings in, in sales. Don’t worry CBC and Bowl Movement it is all Rafa’s fault.

For all you guys freezing your nuts of its 30 degrees plus and I am starting to peel from too much sun. Life is a bitch in Africa.

Its official we have the budget of a relegation threatened team, in fact they can spend more than us, but if Collymore and Jamie Redcrap where the manager we would be a shoe in for the Prem title as by right Liverpool should win the Prem regardless of facts and reality.

Why let facts get in the way Keith eh?

I really hope we twat them on sunday.I`ll look forward to seeing that weisel daddys boy Jamie come up with excuses.
Wonder who sly sports will stick in the chair next to him.A Rafa basher no doubt.Then him,Jamie boy and that Gorilla Keys can sit through the game hoping and praying for a spuds win so they can have a go.
Dosen`t matter anyway they`ll move the goalposts to suit there agenda on the day.

Bollix`s the lot of um.

Seems to me Keith, if the owners could develope a method of getting the shirts to run around without player in them, then what a coup that would be. Brand loyal fans cheering on empty shirts, however still booing Lucas’ empty shirt.
.
I will say one thing though, if the lads we have lift their performance 10%, then their most definitely a title winning team (STILL).

Here’s a thought why don’t LFC simply ban Rednap and Collymore from Anfield. In fact why don’t they ban Sky Sports all together.
.
Can’t SOS stage a major protest to stop both Sky and Rednap entering the ground. And to think Jamie’s now slagging Aqualani, when he was club captain and out all season, season after season.

Two words…

Tv Money.

TT – nice one 140 !

Yep, for me Babel is a goner this window and if we get anywhere near the 12M we supposedly spent then hats off to Rafa.
If you look at it, realistically Voro, Deegan, Babel and Dossena are barely squad players at this stage so what’s the point in hanging on to them ? That’s 4 not very happy campers out of the way.

If “Kiki” arrives then at most that’s one guy bitching on the bench and you never know …. what’s he got to lose ? .. play your way all the way to the world cup my man.

I’d give you all the benefit of my doubtful wisdom but I’m actually shivering with some sort of … who knows. Take me with you to Australia Aussie. This bloody hemisphere is really getting to me now.

FS are you on crack or has the cold climbed all the way up your spine to your brain?

“But, in all fairness when he stops all that nonsense, he does make the odd sensible point/observation.”

He’s never made a “sensible observation” in his life and the only “sensible” or otherwise useful “point” he ever makes is the one that marks the end of his incessantly useless statements.

Aitch the lad actually used to make quite a bit of sense. That’s why I used to chat with him, but I gave in when the nonsense completely took over.

And none of us – me included – are beyond spouting drivel, or having daft opinions.

I remember it used to drive me mad in here when more or less everyone was suggesting players Rafa should go after. Fantasy Football I used to call it, and I’d bang on and on about how skint we was. But it just got ignored and bored the shit out of most people… You told me off for it – said I was throwing me weight around. And it took a long time for a lot of people to come to realise just how bad things are.

That’s not a pop at you or anyone else. It’s just fact. I think it’s madness how some still call for Rafa’s head… who the fuck they think would come and do a better job under these circumstances, and people can bang on and on about that, even start to get them to understand – but next bad result, it’s back to square one… Sack Rafa, Sell Gerrard, Buy Kaka, Pew Pew Barney McGrew Cuthbert Dibble and Grubb.

I’ve even some journo’s back peddling over the last few days… printing articles that don’t exactly tell the truth about Rafa, but that have mellowed a bit in the nonsense and rhetoric.

I’m not foolish enough to think they’ve seen the light. I know it’s for one reason only… they know people are finally starting to realise the terrible circumstances LFC are in/Rafa’s working under, and so they are mellowing so they won’t look like complete idiots for blaming the world’s woes on a man who really has performed miracles under the given circumstances.

I even noticed that happening in a couple of BM’s posts. But for some reason – he wants the attention, he’s on a wind up, he’s not smart enough to see it clearly – he always reverts to the nonsense… so will the few journo’s that are acting more reasonably when they think the time is right – i.e. they won’t get stick for it.

But you know what… The media, BM, the rest of the anti-Rafa brigade, they’re the least of our problems right now.

I’m not trying to be a smartarse, but for season’s I’ve been going on about football not being able to sustain this madness. City and Chelsea may be able to keep throwing money away, but I doubt even they can. But Birmingham, Tottenham, Sunderland… not a bloody chance.

I used to say it in here all the time… Football will eat itself. Well Pompey are on the verge of imploding. And as I’ve pointed out time and time again… Liverpool are really on the verge of doing a Leeds.

I know it’s not what people want to hear. It’s not what I want to say. And believe me… it’s not just me being a panic spreader or trying to be a smartarse, scoring points or saying I told you so… It’s bloody reality folks. We are in very uncertain times to say the least. But there’s no point in me or anyone else banging on about it right now. There’s fuck all we can do and it’s just too down right depressing.

But like I have been saying for ages, when questioning things at LFC H&G must be kept in mind as there really isn’t anything about this club that these pair of shysters aren’t dragging down.

TimmyT,
sorry i missed your earlier post (185)but as of now if not for a big thaw it could very well be called off, at the moment it’s like trying to walk on ice with glass slippers on, but that aspect of fans safety will probably be down to the police.
Galway if i where you i’d do some serious surfing of the net also keep phoning Anfield for up-dates on the match they’ll let you know before anyone.
On the Babel transfer i dont think Rafa will sell him at all.
1 As stated above he wont get any of the money anyway.

2 I dont think he’d sell him to another prem team as Rafa knows his potential better than any of us and you can bet your bottom dollar that after a while he would really turn it on for the likes of Birmingham or Spurs.

so i hope he stays and sees that this is as good as it gets and he puts his head down and shows us all why Rafa bought him in the first place.
Typing this at 5-15am cant sleep for the life of me been up since 4-10am, i might put my lads rap dvd’s on full blast stand at the gate shouting “Happy New Year” i really am a little tinker.
YNWA.

On a slightly note – after reading one of FS’s comments awhile back about season 1981-82 – I thought I’d cheer myself up and watch the match of the 80′s episode of Match of the 80′s to relive it all. We really were a bit of mess up to and including Christmas but then it all clicked – we won the last 16 or something like. The downside is of course – we were BY FAR the best team in the land at the time and had just welcomed in a certain new striker by the name of Rush…decent player..:)

but hey! lets dream shall we..12 points behind the leaders as of now…

oh one thing Fatty – it was actually the first season where 3 points for a win was introduced! I know, I know..I’m such a nerd..

Sorry for the preaching there last night, but I’d just read the SOS statement and been into some site to see what how it had been recieved…

I couldn’t believe me own eyes… Some people were still defending H&G and turning it into a sack Rafa discussion.

It it wasn’t so maddening and depressing, it would be hilarious. I know you like Monty Python’s Aitch, well, I thought I was at a meeting of the Judean People’s Front, or is it The People’s Front of Judea…

It was ridiculous, people defending H&G, people attacking SOS, people moaning about the tone of the post – too smarmy, too aggressive – we should back the owners, give them a chance, it’s not their fault, sack Rafa, we must stop being to civil, we need to get violent, start attacking branches of RSB, start attacking their employees, start attacking H&G in America, start attacking their families, start attacking their employees, start attacking all their employees and anyone attached to them, start attacking the merchandis shops, Melwood and Anfield… I was just waiting for, “What have the Romans ever done for us.”

Honestly it was ridiculous. I couldn’t believe some of the things that was getting said, and some of the things that were getting whinged about.

And to be honest, I’m sort of sick of going on about it and I try to avoid it as much as possible – simply because there’s nothing we can really do about it, and to keep going on about it in here could only result in one thing… me, turning the place into a boring soap box.

But having said that, there’s no point in just burying our heads in the sand and hoping it will just go away.

The fact is, we are in a sad state of affairs and no matter what people’s opinions are of SOS – good, bad or indifferent – it’s the only thing that we have. But that’s not really me point anyway. I’m just explaining the state of affairs and how it’s splitting people – sort of the old Roman divide and conquer strategy.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we all have to agree on everything in here or never criticise the manager or the players, or anything else about the club. But we should always consider what is really going on in the background, just how bad the situation is, and how bad it really could get if…
1: We don’t get rid of them.
2: How bad things could get if we get shot of Rafa and leave the club to their devices.

I know that’s all sort of pointless in here. This isn’t really the place for it. But I think it needed to be said. And I suppose it’s just frustration at not being able to get the boo boys and the phone in knobheads to wake up and pack in.

They really are more dangerous than they themselves and too many other people realise. And if they do get their way – or Rafa eventually has enough of them and H&G and walks – get ready for a really rough ride aboard The Pompey express heading to Leeds terminal.

Bollacks to it, enough moaning. I’m going round to Redman’s gaff for a snowball fight, some sliding footy in the street and a rap party.

Nice one Arthur, I didn’t realise it was 3 points but you get me drift. And let’s hope the team and another young striker are about to click, as on our day, we still are the best team in the land.

Finell. It just keeps getting worse…
Liverpool defender Glen Johnson ruled out until March
Liverpool have suffered an injury setback with news that Glen Johnson is expected to be out of action until March.

The right-back has undergone surgery to repair a medial ligament tear in his right knee that he suffered in the 1-0 victory away to Aston Villa at the end of last month.

Immediately after the injury there were fears that Johnson had suffered serious damage, but these were allayed by Liverpool, after a scan, with the prediction that he would be out for only a month. However, that diagnosis has now proved to have been optimistic.

F-it. I’m stuck indoors all day again today and I can’t keep reading all this…
pass us that Snoogy Doogy CD over Redman.

I feared that would happen FS.A month sounded too good to be true.

We have a problem there now.Who plays there.Darby seems limited,Degan decent going forward but defensively absent.I don`t fancy moving Carrs out there again.He needs to stay central.He marshalls the back line and its ahrd to do that at right back.Plus he could find it difficult there too.

So damaged limitation i think Darby will get the nod.

Well the club aren`t going to buy a player now are they?

How come the telegraph know about this and there`s nothing on the official site FS?

You just couldn’t make this shite up. Ah well, we shall just have to get on with it.

TT, from what I have seen from Darby so far, I don’t think that he is ready for 1st team action in the EPL. I would still prefer to play Carra at right back until Kelly is fit (Is he back in training yet?). Hey, but that is why I am not a manager.

BTW, were we not trying to Soogy Doogy at one stage?

Come on up here FS,
and i got some depressing news from a phone call off the mate, there’s talk of shutting the longy labour down, that will really fuck me up i’ll have to go up to prescot for a bevvy, you know that lot they think a ball’s egg shaped.
Had a bad attack of the condition i suffer with the other night FS, said to the missus “fuck me i feel like a liverpool player”, but that new’s on magic is fuckin’ rotten as usual when are these lads gonna kop for a break?.
YNWA.

How long is Martin Kelly out for?

FS, some fans will not wake up until Rafa has enough and walks off. Our squad gets thinner and thinner and we tumble down the league into 14th place or something. Only then will some people realise the shit we are in.

Newcastle fans didn’t realise how stupid they were until they were in the bottom 3 with 4 games left. Leeds fans believed the bollacks from their chairman up until all their players were being flogged and replaced with reserves and kids.

I am truly amazed Rafa has not fucked off. Putting myself in Rafa’s shoes. I’m in a foreign country where the weather is shite and the culture a lot different, I have a wife and 2 young children who I have little time for because my job requires attention 24 hours a day, I’m putting on serious weight and my health is getting worse, I’ve aged 12 years in only 6. I have the media and ex players up my arse on a daily basis for years. I’m expected to win the league and CL with less money than Birmingham City.

If it were me I’d be on the next plane back to Madrid.

We are in a position where even if we sell players we still can’t replace them. Hahaha… you’ve gotta laugh or you’ll cry. And people think a top manager will be falling over themselves to manage the mighty LFC regardless. Lol. Fucking hell.

Me and my mate were on the phone last night. We were talking about the transfer budget of £1.5m IF we can sell Voronin, Degen and Dossena. We were also talking about who we could get in on a loan deal. Then I mentioned that 6 months ago we were talking about getting David Silva and David Villa. After a brief pause we just both burst out laughing, ending it with a collective “oh dear”.

Against Spurs the Kop might as well sing “We are Leeds”.

I think he`s back in full training next week LB.

Yea,it makes you wonder why Rafa puts up with it.It says a lot about the man.He`s a stubborn oul git and he won`t budge until he completes his work.He loves the challenge even if its an impossible one at the moment.
I`ve always said i`d love to see us win the league for the likes of Stevie and Carra who have dedicated their whole careers to the club.Now i`d be even more made up for Rafa with the shite he`s had to put up with.

Great post LB and agree 100%.

It could end of that it’s Montse who tells him to pack it in because he’s doing himself no end of damage to his health. Here’s two photos of Rafa split about 6 years apart:

ttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40187000/jpg/_40187207_benitez270.jpg

ttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45070000/jpg/_45070006_rab_pa.jpg

Stress or what?

Doesn’t bear thinking about but I would not blame Rafa one iota if he decided to pack-up and head-off somewhere else where he would be appreciated. Do you think Valencia would have him back – feckin’ right they would.

I’m offski to get some anti-depressants.

What’s this I am hearing about Collymore hiding in the corridors of Anfield to avoid Rafa. I didn’t think that my opinion of him could get any lower but being a coward as well…

Anyone heard something about this?

Is Purslow an improvement on Parry?.Don’t think so.

I read about that somewhere Lurgan can`t remember where though.The cunt should be barred from Anfield.He shouldn`t even be left in the gates.He runs from Rafa but see`s fit do beat up women.What coward indeed.

A bit off topic I guess but my girlfriend has a friend in Italy, a fanatic Juve fan. I told her to ask, for a laugh, what he reckoned to Aquilani. The answer is in many ways amusing and without doubt tainted by the fact that we are talking about a player from a rival team. People here should be able to relate to his comments on the Italian media:

“i know him. but i saw him playing really few times. he seems good but, here in italy, journalists talk in awe about every player who comes from Roma and play for Roma. maybe ‘cuz most journalist live in roma and “i romani” only cares about football (in roma there are various local radios, journals, televisions talking constantly about roma and lazio. if you took a cab in roma you know what i mean). surely he is really fragile. he didn’t play many matches in the last years because of injuries and because he was alternated with other players (he wasn’t what we call a “titolare fisso”, a player who – if in health – always play; for this reason too, Aquilani went away from Roma).
in conclusion, he’s talented but very fragile and maybe he is a young italian too far from mummy.”

I can just see the headlines… the Special Needs One was approached to take over from Rafa, he is desperate to come back to the Prem, but will have no budget and all the players he sells will have to go towards paying off the clubs debt. He will also only be given a specified amount of time to win the treble that all fans thinks as a right should belong to Liverpool. His response was “Fuck Off” I am the Special One not the Almighty.

When asked for a comment the poison dwarf GG who although caught on film promising to have the spade in the ground within 60 days then denied ever saying it thus removing all doubt as to the ignorance and stupidity of the man made a statement saying the reference to Snoogy doo still stands but he never promised that snoogy doo could play football just that he would be willing to buy him if he is cheap, fits in with the stated budget of balancing the books after debt repayment, travel expenses, rent boys (Jurgen Klinsman in particular) and colonoscopy treatment along side anal reconstruction.

THicks the other moron that bought into Liverpool using his now world wide patented Weata Bix model, said he would do a personal interview to allay all the fans concerns just as soon as he has finished watching the Late Lady Di’s interviews once again in order to be more sincere because the last one in front of the log fire while wearing his grand mothers knitted jumper did not quite work out as he intended despite copying it from the late Princess. Maybe GG was right and he should have worn the dress. He is astounded that after all his success at running sports franchises like the Texas Rangers, Corinthians and the Dallas North Stars people still question his expertise, commitment and sporting knowledge.

Both GG and THicks did state in a separate announcement that they were immensely proud to be co-chairman’s and life members of the mensa backed CBC and thanked all the members for their loyal support.

I didn’t realise it was from the Telegraph Timmy, or I wouldn’t have posted it. I got it from a fans site when I was doing me stuck in the house trundle round the net. And I’ve just tried to find out for definite but can’t find anything. So, I hope I haven’t just posted gossip for no reasond, and he’ll be back far earlier. But from the way this season is going, I’m just glad he hasn’t had his leg amputated… it’s getting that bloody bad, players only being maimed and not dropping dead feel like a bonus.

As for Rafa, I often said the same thing LB. I’m amazed at how the man keeps going. He’s made of stern stuff. But yeah. The strain is showing. I remember saying a few months ago about Kenny’s parting comment… “If I stay on, I’ll have a heart attack.”

And then Souness and Ged proved him right. LFC manager’s job has got to be one of the worst in football.

As I said earlier, I hate putting the doom and gloom in here. I’d much rather discuss the footy and have a laugh and joke. But there’s times it can’t be avoided and I reckon it’s always got to be considered.

I know some good lads, good Reds, my age, life long fans, who are tired of Rafa. They aren’t kneejerkers. They don’t have an axe to grind and they aren’t media “Skywashed” idiots. They just believe that Rafa has run his course, but not one of them want him sacked or to walk… they are terrified of H&G bringin in some nodding dog, who’ll just sit by and watch the club get raped… And you’re right, this exactly how it started at Leeds, and before to long, Ferdinand went to the Mancs for 30 million and that team was asset stripped to where it is now…

And the road back… Well, just as they seem to be building up some hope, that Beckford kid has hit them with a transfer request today.

So honestly, don’t want to spread panic for no reason, but we do have to face facts. We are in a very precarious position at the moment. Do we really want to sack the one fella who we know has the club’s best interests to heart?

Sadly you’re right… the gobshites will never learn.

FFS BM… A bloody dead man would be an improvement on Parry and certainly move quicker.

Redman… sorry to hear about The Longy. I used to have a bevvy in there when a lad called Ted McHale had it. There’ll be no bloody pubs left except downtown soon. Kirkby, Huyton, Bootle, Fazakerly, Walton Rd, even Scotty Rd, all the little locals I used to use round there are all gone.

As for the weather, the lad went back to Uni in Lancaster on the coach yesterday. I believe it was horrendous, got back about 5 hours later than he should. And me mate was on his way down from Bootle this morning… couldn’t get his car out of his street.

As for Aquilani… I know Roma are the press darlings of Italy. But mark my words – Aquilani is going to be some player for us.

whats really getting me down is that this league is there for the taking any decent team that gets on a good run can win it, everyone is dropping points so why cant our players dust themselves down put two fingers up to the snipers and say fuck em lets show em whos boss and start tearing into teams al a the end of last season. ffffin’ go for it reds.

Do I detect a bit of sarcasm there Keith? Surely you know how cold them Texas summers can be.

No bother there FS no harm done i seen it on another fan site myself.Thats where i spotted the link.I just checked the official site but there was nothing.Nobody can put a time frame on his injury but the club.I thought we`d have heard something by now though.

So FS… post # 213… I rest my case!

Bloody Freezin here in So Cal this morning… only 59farenheit at the moment, with the sun barely poking through the clouds
…and with an expected high of only 79farenheit… brrr!

(I know, that’s just some seriously fucked up shit to be saying right now, but its that or talk about injuries again )

Yeah Aitch,
like that old Albert Hammond song “seems it never rains in southern california”
it must be a fucker for you, was gonna comment on 213 but why help him dig a hole?.
To the lads of Ireland hoping to travel to the game on sunday, well the forecast is that from tonight till next week the temp is gonna drop to minus 20 degrees across a lot of England.
Fuck it i cant resist, Burgerbrain Bob the builder is an improvement on Parry.
YNWA.

Aitch, a broken clock is right twice a day.

I don’t know why he insists on putting these little bits of nonsense up, but it doesn’t mean, I’d trust the fellas who throw handgrenades to actually make them.

I don’t give a toss really. Like I said, I suppose his community is a bit safer if he’s in here making mischief and not loose on the streets.

Anyway funny thing is, I’ve been sitting here arranging next summer’s hols….
Santa Barbara and Las Vegas. Business is shite and I’m practically skint. But fuck it. It’s freezing here. I’ve been up at 5 every morning, getting the business going, leaving it in the hands of people who rob me blind, getting home for 10, nursing 3 sick women, cooking and cleaning and all that, then going back to work to close everything down, then home to cook the tea, do the dishes and do a bit more house work until I can get a couple of hours kip, get up and do it all again.

As I said, Rafa should think himself lucky. But you know what… a few months from now, they’ll all be well, I’ll be visiting mates and family, and warming me fat aul arse by the pool, drinking a few ice cold beers and cocktails, just to be sociable with the vicar.

Always look on the bright side of life!

Anyway, well worth a read…

http://tomkinstimes.com/2010/01/babel-babble-by-lippy-lipton/#comment-10173

Normally I wouldn’t put another blog in here, but I’m sure Gerry won’t mind. It hits on everything we’ve been speaking about lately, and, for me, it’s right on the money.

That’a a great article FS,
I used to get the daily mirror everyday from the day i got married ( i think LB get’s it too) but not anymore since last october, i sent them an indignant e-mail and asked them why that paper was so biassed against LFC i told them how long i had been reading it as did my dear old dad (FS i used to run to longy shops for the mirror and the daily herald for dad everyday) but i cannot carry on purchasing and reading what i now regard as a manchester united football programme and i also told them at least that other paper the s-n nailed its colours to the post, i honestly think they are as bad as the s-n only a lot slyer in it’s deliverance.
Anyway you slow down buddy and take it easy the world will still be there tomorrow, would’nt want to be calling you skinny scouser now would we.
YNWA.

PS,
also meant to say i never ever got a reply or response to my e-mail, so it just confirmed to me what a cunt of a paper it really is.

Redman, like yourself, I remember when every working man in the country read the mirror. It was our paper. But I also remember when it started going down hill… tits and arse, bingo, celebrity watching and all the other melarkey they started to keep up with the other rags.

I don’t know who’s worse mate… the papers or the divvies who believe them. And do they just give them what they want or do they force feed them the shite they want them to believe?

But like Jack Hill said… they only exist to sell papers not tell truth or report news. And I suppose it doesn’t matter anyway, seems their going the same way as the alehouses… tits up anyway.

Bloody internet and supermarkets, eh.

But not to worry, as long as there’s Kop Blog and dead cheap Carling in Tesco… there’s not much chance of me getting up off me fat arse and doing something that would make me need a name change!

I used to buy the Mirror – not anymore. I dont buy any paper. I just pick up the free one in the morning on the way to work and the free evening paper on the way home and read free articles on the internet.

Nice one LB,
honestly mate i thought why am i giving this paper over a £100 a year to read about it ridiculing my club, but if you think the paper is bad have a look at the cunt online it’s fuckin’ worse so i stopped that as well, all i do now is go to a site called newsnowliverpool heres the link its pretty good if you dont know about it

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/Football/Premier+League/Liverpool

off to bed now see if i can sleep till a reasonable hour instead of only half the night.
YNWA.

I see we are linked with a lad called Ladiero from Uraguay.
As far as i`ve heard,Napoli are in for him and have made a £5.5m bid for him and want him now.LFC are prepared to put a deposite of £1m on him to secure a move in the summer.His club want him to stay until the summer to play in the South American Copa Libertadores.

I know its talk,talk,talk but have you heard anything about this lad LB?
He seems to highly regarded over there.

Only stumbling block i think could be the £1 million deposit,we might notbe able to afford it.

As for papers i`m done with them.This is my haven for any news regarding LFC.

Again the above is only cyber talk so don`t put your house on it,i just wanted to know if anyone else heard something.

Saw one daft story Timmy. They called the lad the Uraguayan Messi… I stopped reading there. But that’s the sort of deals Rafa’s been having to make. That’s what we done with Turan, got it all done and dusted but put no money down. The lad has even came out and said, he wants to only play for Liverpool when Arsenal inquired about him.

What’s the chance of having the dosh, though?

Pretty slim,FS pretty slim at the moment.

I hear we’ve been offered 21 year old Ecuadorian Wonderkind Phantomi Bogusto for free.
Supposedly he’s the Ecuadorian Kaka, though some reports suggest he’s actually the Ecuadorian Zidane, while still others claim he’s the Ecuadorian Ronaldo.

When asked for comment, his mother said, “He’s not a Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!”

The Daily Mirror, has suggested he’s probably Rafa’s biggest flop to date and that Liverpool fans should follow the shoe.

Maybe we should change the title of the blog to Accumulate while the fans speculate. That’s how it appears but hopefully it may change.
.
Lets thump Spurs and see what happens, onward and upward. Johnson is a major blow at this stage of the season.

F.S. thanks for the Tomkins Link, enjoyed reading
his comments..
I was in Vegas Christmas week.I don’t know when you were there last, but it’s changed a lot..
They are still building you would never know there was a recession going on.
Will the Spurs game be played or is it going to be postponed due to the weather????

What do you lads think of the link between Brum and Babel, is he worth a punt in keeping, or are his days numbered.
.
I read somewhere recently Rafa made a comment he was left out of the Reading game because he wasn’t focused. What is that supposed to mean and is it true. Would 10 million be a good deal for us seeing as he’s at best a bench player in our team, sometimes not even on our bench in one of the worst injury riddled seasons.
.
Should he stay, or is he best out the door, cutting our loss.

Grrh, I had to post this link.

http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,15205_5841342,00.html

It’s a review of the pool/spuds match from the mensa dodger that is Paul Merson. I had not read so much tripe, well, since yesterday.

My favourite bit is…

Now I look at the two teams on Sunday and I think how many Liverpool players would get in the Spurs side? Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina and probably Jamie Carragher… but none of the others.

Who said drugs and drink didn’t mess with your brain?

Gaz, if Rafa was assured of getting the money then I would go for it. However, since he will not, then there is no point and it just weakens the squad and pays of the yanks debts.

galwayred, sadly, it seems as if the match will be called off mate.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/reds-request-postponement

Lad’s
LFC have asked for the coming game with spurs to be postponed this weekend regarding safety issues according to sky-sports.
Sorry about that Galway but it can only be good for the boys what with all the injuries they can have a bit of a breather.
YNWA.

Games are falling victim to the weather all over the shop.
I doubt the reds game will go ahead now they`ve requested a postonement.

Too bad for you Galway red just have a good oul bevvie up instead.

P.S.

The Burnley game has just been pulled too.Can`t see any games going ahead.

I was thinking that too Red at least there`s more rest for the lads and more time to heal.

Still pissed its not going ahead though.I`m sure Rafa and the lads were looking forward to it too.

Exactly, might not be a bad thing considering our upcoming fixture list.

Liverpool v Reading
Stoke v Liverpool
Wolverhampton v Liverpool
Liverpool v Bolton
Liverpool v Everton

Also, see Dosser is out the door. Didn’t mind the lad, and, IMHO, he was not as bad as everyone thought. But he’s away and that is that.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8448465.stm

Rafa`s on sky having press conference.

As well as Dosser going to Napoli,Davy Crockett is to sign for Dynamo Moscow subject to paper work.

When asked about Babel Rafa said he`d be hapy to keep him and the player wants to stay and fight for his place.
That didn`t stop the idiot journo from sky asking Rafa if he wanted to sell to bring in players.

Do your homework will ya RAFA`S GETTING NOUT!!

God – fucking snow cancels footie – though I genuinely think it might work in our favour- we’ll have Kelly and Riera close to full fitness – more R&R for Torres and Gerrard and we all know that LFC kicks ass once the old winter pisses off..4th place and FA Cup glory anybody?

As far as Maxi goes.Rafa says everything was agreed with Athletico now it was up too Maxi and Athletico to sort their shit out.

Sunday’s game off … Bloodddyy horrible weather …

There’s two fellas who do the afternoon show on Talk Shite. One of them is a Spuds fan. So never mind all the games that are being cancelled, of course Liverpool have pulled this one because they are “Scared” of Tottenham… I kid you not, “Scared.”

He also said if Liverpool wasn’t scared, LFC fans would get out with their shovels and salt clear the surrounding aread. And this is what passes for expert opinion and punditry.

Well, sorry if you can’t cancel that trip Galway, and go to the expense of travelling for nothing, but do us a favour… grab your shovel and get that Saxo off Timmy. Maybe you and your mates can start work on the new stadium after you’ve cleaned up Walton Breck Road.

Oh well, like you lads have said it gives us some time to give the lads a quick rub down with some Horse Placenta. Other than that, I’m gutted.

We’re going to click soon and give someone a hiding, I would have loved it to have been against auld Droopy Gob. I can’t stand Tottenham either. Never used to mind them, but they get right up my craw nowadays…
Best LFC performance I have ever seen in my life was when we battered them 7-0. They had a decent outfit an all then, came to Anfield mouthing off and the press bigging them up something woeful. Because, they’d just bought Ardilles and Villa, their fans tried to do one of them Argentinian ticker tape things like the Argentinians did at the World Cup…
By the end of the game, they was sorry they ever got on the plane, we were that good that day. And I honestly had a sneaky feeling we was about to shut some people up on Sunday.

Oh well, they’ll wait. But I hope you haven’t wasted too much dough Galway. If you’re having a bevvy in the afternoon, make sure you visit the Punch and Judy, Coopers (Bobby Wilcox’s old pub), and Yates Wine Lodge. 3 great old pubs, full of character and great characters.

As for Babel, I think he should go. He’s just never going to fit at LFC. He’s not a Rafa type player. My big fear is, he’ll go to Brum, McCleish will not expect nothing of him, let him just roam and play his game and he will be a success.

Of course that will give the media and some of our “Support” a huge stick to beat Rafa with. But the fact is, no matter how well he plays, he will never fit at Liverpool. He just can’t adapt his game and fit into our system, and he’s not good enough to change that system to fit him… complete waste of time for both player and club since he got here, and if we can get Birmingham up to 10 mill we should grab it pronto and let them have the headache.

RedScouse… glad you enjoyed that Tomkins piece. (Lurgan read it mate. It makes up for all that shite in the media). And it’s been a few years since I was in Vegas, but I know what it’s like. I still have mates there. I shouldn’t go really. I haven’t got the dosh. But fuck it… If the never never is good enough for Hicks and Gillette, it’s good enough for me.

Lurgan, come on. Dossena was terrible. I know some of you guys have a soft spot for him due to his seemingly good attitude and the lob at Old Trafford but he was a bloody awful signing.

LB,
i thought he was worth every penny just for that lob alone at old toilet, come on mate dont you love it.
YNWA.

Ha ha FS,
Saxo have’nt heard of that for years, when we beat spurs is’nt that where one of the great footballers of yester-year (think it was Finney) said he has watched football all over the world the Brazils, the Frances and the Italians but he said he has never in his life seen football like he did when we twatted them, i wish snoopy redknapp had them then. I think its called team of the decade.
YNWA.

Oh the lob was beautiful, I loved it. I did the moonwalk in my living room after.

Timmy’s got the Saxo in the back of his biccie cupboard somewhere. And I saw that interview with Finney not too long ago. He said we played football from another planet and no one on this earth could compete with us.

LB, I think it’s a shame Dosenna just couldn’t adapt. I don’t see it as a terrible signing either. Of course Rafa is getting leathered for wasting more money, but who’d have thought a full Italian international defender wouldn’t be able to defend here?

Not me. They’re famed for it. And there’s not many that fail. As for the transfer fee… did you see how much Tevez cost Man U? I can’t remember that actual cost, but it was over 10 million.

I know, that’s nothing to do with Dosenna. I’m just showing the double standards and hypocrisy as Dosenna has ended up costing us what… 3.5 mill? The goals against The Mancs and Madrid justify that alone… I certainly didn’t mind paying a few bob towards them and I’d have thrown in a few more to see you doing the moonwalk!

Jokes aside, I honestly think it’s a shame the lad didn’t make it. I loved his attitude on and off the pitch… Babel should have roomed with him. There was a lot to be learned there. And I just hope the lad goes onto great things… even though Rafa will get battered for it if he does.

Anyway, still stinging from the cancellation of Sunday’s game… I honestly thought we was going to batter them. But having said that, it’ll do us no harm to have Masch back for that one.

Here you go Redman, memories of Spuds past…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L8DSko4u6E&feature=PlayList&p=A4AAE14D36DB191E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=16

That was the first game I ever went in the stands for. I was queing up at the Kop and a mate of mine give me the ticket.

I only took it because I’d never been in there, and I’d just smoked a spliff. I was gutted. It done me head in… surrounded by all the miserable aul bastards, stoned of me head, watching the lads party on the kop.

Oh well, I did get a boss view even it was through one eye.

Ah thank’s FS,
all look at this lads and watch the last goal Terry Mc what a fuckin stunner.
FS still laughing at the salt.
YNWA.

I was just finishing reading the comments and was going to mention the Macdermot goal. If you ask any LFC supporter above a certain age which is the best goal you have ever seen 99 out of a 100 will pick that one. Have another look and tell me who was in goal for Spurs?. That was the first time we’d had young girls in front of us on the Kop. It was a special day for us and for them LOL

Gazza